Counter-Archives in
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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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Sweden.

Sweden.

Cigarette card, 1889

Coins of All Nations (Duke's Cigarettes)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library. "Sweden." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1850 - 1959. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-353f-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Girl from Rättvik, province of Dalarna, Sweden.

Girl from Rättvik, province of Dalarna, Sweden.

Photograph, 1906 - 1914

Sherman, Augustus F., 1865-1925 (Photographer)

Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library. "Girl from Rättvik, province of Dalarna, Sweden" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1906 - 1914. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47da-dc93-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Swedish man and woman.

Swedish man and woman.

Photograph, 1881 - 1882

Jacobsson, Selma, 1841-1899 (Photographer)

The New York Public Library. "Swedish man and woman" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1881 - 1882. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-18b9-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Unidentified woman.

Unidentified woman.

Photograph, 1890

Larson, Axel, active 1890s (Photographer)

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. "Unidentified woman" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1890. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/54e15790-2289-0132-593c-58d385a7bbd0

Mora winter costume.

Mora winter costume.

Print, 1881 - 1882

The New York Public Library. "Mora winter costume" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1881 - 1882. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-18c3-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Sami children, possibly from Sweden.

Sami children, possibly from Sweden.

Photograph, 1906 - 1914

Sherman, Augustus F., 1865-1925 (Photographer)

Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library. "Sami children, possibly from Sweden" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1906 - 1914. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-79d9-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99