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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India.

India.

Cigarette card, 1889

Coins of All Nations (Duke's Cigarettes)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library. "India." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1850 - 1959. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-3511-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

A Hindoo marriage

A Hindoo marriage.

Photogravure, 1890

Weeks, Edwin Lord (Artist)

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. “A Hindoo marriage” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1890. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-d145-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Man wearing turban and medals

Man wearing turban and medals.

Photograph from Album of photographs of Burma, India and Egypt, c. 1889

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. “Man wearing turban and medals” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1889. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-623b-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Snake-charmers in India

Snake-charmers in India.

Print from The Queen's empire: a pictorial and descriptive record illustrated from photographs, 1897

General Research Division, The New York Public Library. “Snake-charmers in India” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1897. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/906b7eb0-0158-0132-a965-58d385a7bbd0

Portrait of a European (?) man in Eastern dress

Portrait of a European (?) man in Eastern dress.

Photograph from Album of photographs of Burma, India and Egypt, c. 1889

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. “Portrait of a European (?) man in Eastern dress” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1889. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-6239-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Man with a book

Man with a book.

Photograph from Album of photographs of Burma, India and Egypt, c. 1889

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. “Man with a book” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1889. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-6238-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99