Counter-Archives in
Digital Spaces

Duke’s Cigarette Cards
Coins of All Nations, 1889

Case Study #3: Magnification

This case study highlights the digital nature of the “Coins of All Nations” cards and exaggerates those qualities to investigate the readability and legibility of the stereotypes in a digital environment. The pixelation is an intentional glitch, an act of deformance that signals the effects of digitization. Hovering over the pixelated image will reveal a magnified version of the cigarette card, enlarged to a degree that more pixelation and imperfection is evident.
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  • As a result of pixelation, are the stereotypes evident? Are the racial implications lessened to any degree?
  • Does moving closer or further away from the screen affect the readability or visual qualities of the images?
  • What is lost or gained by seeing this collection digitally instead of in-person?
  • Through magnification, do new observations emerge about the shapes of eyes, how mouths were drawn, colors used for skin tones, specific hand gestures, etc.?

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Algeria
Arabia
Austria
Bavaria
Belgium
Brazil
Burmah
Canada
Chili
China
Congo
Corea
Cuba
Denmark
Egypt
England
Equador
Finland
French Empire
Germany
Greece
Hayti
Holland
Hungary
India
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Liberia
Mexico
Morocco
Newfoundland
Norway
Persia
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Republic of France
Russia
Sandwich Islands
Saxony
Scotland
Servia
Siam
Siberia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland