Between the 1890s and 1930s tobacco companies in the US and other countries commonly inserted small “silks “- actually satins - into cigarette and tobacco products as an advertising tool and a lure for women to smoke. These silks were in series and had images of birds, flowers, women, animals, colleges, famous people, military symbols, and Native Americans. Women would use these silks to create decorative pieces for the home.

These silks, made by the American tobacco company Nebo of New York and New Jersey in the 1930s, are larger than most. They depict dancing women in traditional dress from different countries. The German woman, however, is dressed in a severe outfit and is static.