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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Portugal.

Portugal.

Cigarette card, 1889

Coins of All Nations (Duke's Cigarettes)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library. "Portugal." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1850 - 1959. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-352b-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Portrait of Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern, Queen consort of Portugal and the Algarves.

Portrait of Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern, Queen consort of Portugal and the Algarves.

Photograph, 1900 - 1909

Bieber, E. (Emil), 1878-1962 (Photographer)

The New York Public Library. "Woman in white standing behind a chair, 1901s" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1900 - 1909. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e0-edc3-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Portuguese jewelry

Portuguese jewelry

Print, 1876 - 1888

Spiegel et Nordmann (Lithographer)

The New York Public Library. "Portuguese jewelry" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1876 - 1888. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-256b-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

7-Portugal

7-Portugal

Costume design drawings, 1919 - 1920

Barnes, Will R., -1939 (Costume designer)

Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library. "7-Portugal" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1919 - 1920. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/78e1f880-142a-0131-2e74-58d385a7b928