Silver-Spangled Hamburgh, from the Prize and Game Chickens series (N20) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1891

This is a collectible card of a ‘Silver-Spangled Hamburgh’ chicken, from the Prize and Game Chickens series, produced by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. These cards were part of a marketing strategy in the late 19th century when tobacco companies sought to boost sales by including collectible cards with their products. This card reflects the Victorian era's fascination with breeding and classifying animals, akin to the period's approach to race and social hierarchy. Chickens, like other animals, were bred for specific traits, mirroring societal efforts to define and control identity through categorization. The seemingly innocent image of a prize chicken is, therefore, embedded in the cultural context of the time. Consider how it upholds societal interest in delineating social categories, while reinforcing assumptions about value.