Crow, from the Birds of America series (N37) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

Editor: This is "Crow, from the Birds of America series (N37) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes," a lithograph print from 1888. It’s got this interesting, almost compartmentalized composition; two framed vignettes side by side, unified with color... it definitely shows its age. What stands out to you? Curator: For me, it's the context of this lithograph. Here we have an image that is both art and advertisement, existing on a flimsy piece of paper tucked into a cigarette pack. Consider the mass production: the labour involved, the materials sourced, the intended consumption. Do you see how it challenges notions of art's exclusivity? Editor: Absolutely! I was just thinking, does the inherent ephemerality, being a cigarette card, change its significance? Does it cheapen it, or almost democratize art? Curator: Precisely! It pulls art from the pedestal. But also consider the raw materials. Where did the paper come from? The dyes for the lithograph? This process itself ties into the history of American industrialization and resource extraction at the time, which also contributed to widespread use of cigarettes and advertisement. It reveals connections between leisure, industry, and our relationship to the natural world through that Crow. Editor: So it’s less about the image *of* the crow, and more about what the crow *represents* within the broader production chain? Curator: Yes. And how it ends up in your pocket along with something deadly. Editor: This makes me see it in a new light – a critique of consumerism masquerading as a celebration of nature. Thanks for illuminating the materiality, I feel like I have a richer understanding now. Curator: My pleasure! Focusing on production and circulation transforms the simplest image.