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.
Read more ↓

  • 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.

Read less ↑

Italy.

Italy.

Cigarette card, 1889

Coins of All Nations (Duke's Cigarettes)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library. "Italy." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1850 - 1959. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-3515-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

A Steelworker from Italy.

A Steelworker from Italy.

Photograph, 1860 - 1920

Hine, Lewis Wickes, 1874-1940 (Photographer)

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. "A Steelworker from Italy" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1860 - 1920. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-ac62-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Portrait of a woman, Florence, Italy.

Portrait of a woman, Florence, Italy.

Photograph, 1886

Guidi, Federico (Photographer)

The New York Public Library. "Portrait of a woman, Florence, Italy, 1886" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1886. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-2b6b-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Woman and child of Northern Italy.

Woman and child of Northern Italy.

Woman and child of Northern Italy.

Hine, Lewis Wickes, 1874-1940 (Photographer)

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. "Woman and child of Northern Italy" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1860 - 1920. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-b540-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Queen Marguerite of Italy 1880.

Queen Marguerite of Italy 1880.

Portrait, 1880

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. "Queen Marguerite of Italy 1880." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1880. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e0-0761-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Pordenone, Italy, N. Italian type.

Pordenone, Italy, N. Italian type.

Photograph, 1860 - 1920

Hine, Lewis Wickes, 1874-1940 (Photographer)

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. "Pordenone, Italy, N. Italian type" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1860 - 1920. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-b541-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99