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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Persia.

Persia.

Cigarette card, 1889

Coins of All Nations (Duke's Cigarettes)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library. "Persia." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1850 - 1959. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-3525-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Suleiman shakh Persidskii.

Suleiman shakh Persidskii.

Print, 1903

Rare Book Division, The New York Public Library. "Suleiman shakh Persidskii." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1903. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-931c-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Iranian family type.

Iranian family type.

Print, 1899

Dieulafoy, Jane, 1851-1916 (Photographer); Tofani, Osvaldo, 1849-1915 (Artist); Barbant, Charles (Engraver)

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "Iranian family type" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1899. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-1734-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Vornehme Meder, Vornehmer Perser, Perser.

Vornehme Meder, Vornehmer Perser, Perser.

Print, 1898

The New York Public Library. "Vornehme Meder, Vornehmer Perser, Perser" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1913. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e0-f0be-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Persian men and women.

Persian men and women.

Print, 1876 - 1888

Firmin-Didot (Firm) (Printer); Vierge, Daniel, 1851-1904 (Artist)

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "Persian men and women" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1876 - 1888. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-1726-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99