Bart Roberts, Trying Deserters, from the Pirates of the Spanish Main series (N19) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1886 - 1891

Allen & Ginter's "Bart Roberts, Trying Deserters," is part of the Pirates of the Spanish Main series. Printed for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes, its diminutive size belies a complex composition and a keen engagement with themes of authority and justice. The image is bisected. On the right, a close-up of Bart Roberts dominates, his intense gaze and elaborate hat demanding attention. The left offers a scene of judgment; a seated figure, presumably Roberts again, oversees a trial of "deserters." Note how the artist employs contrasting scales to create a dynamic tension: the intimate portrait versus the distant tableau. This compositional choice, fracturing the scene, prompts us to question the nature of representation itself. The formal arrangement hints at a broader semiotic system. The colors, muted yet distinct, signify power structures. The gaze, a structural element, directs our interpretation of the narrative. The artwork challenges our preconceptions about narrative coherence. It's a formal exercise that invites us to engage with how meaning is constructed through visual signs and cultural codes.