Counter-Archives in
Digital Spaces ⟶

Duke’s Cigarette Cards
Coins of All Nations, 1889

Case Study #1: Curation

The curated selection of photographs, prints, and drawings for each nation are chosen from the NYPL Digital Collection by doing a keyword search for the nation featured on the cigarette card. Results are narrowed down to the decades preceding and following 1889, the year Duke’s Cigarette Cards, Coins of All Nations was released.
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  • Do the curated materials share visual characteristics with the cigarette card? How are they different?
  • What is the point of view of the curated materials? What narratives are presented?
  • Does seeing the curated materials offer an alternative impression of the caricature on the cigarette card?
  • How might these images have influenced Americans’ idea of people from this nation?
  • Choose a card and create your own set of curated materials using the NYPL Digital Collections.

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Egypt.

Egypt.

Cigarette card, 1889

Coins of All Nations (Duke's Cigarettes)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library. "Egypt." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1850 - 1959. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-34fd-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Ch[...] mariage arabe.

Ch[...] mariage arabe..

Photograph, 1894

Zangaki (Photographer)

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. “Ch[...] mariage arabe.” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1894. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-64ed-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Ecole arabe

Ecole arabe.

Photograph, 1894

Zangaki (Photographer)

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. “Ecole arabe” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1894. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-6508-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Bourriquier de place. Nº 352

Bourriquier de place. Nº 352.

Photograph, 1880-1889 (Approximate)

G. Lékégian (Photographer), 1880-1889 (Approximate)

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. “Bourriquier de place. Nº 352” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1880 - 1889. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-609f-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

The slavery prosecutions at Cairo.

The slavery prosecutions at Cairo.

Engraving from The Graphic, 1894

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library. “The slavery prosecutions at Cairo.” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1894-10-06. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/977a4046-6bf0-0f5f-e040-e00a1806191a

Rue Bab el-Vazir. Nº 385

Rue Bab el-Vazir. Nº 385.

Photograph, 1880-1889 (Approximate)

G. Lékégian (Photographer)

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. “Rue Bab el-Vazir. Nº 385” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1880 - 1889. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-609c-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99