Iron Bull, Crow, from the American Indian Chiefs series (N2) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1888

This small chromolithograph of Iron Bull, a Crow chief, was produced by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes as part of a larger series of American Indian Chiefs. The image creates meaning through its visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations. It was made at a time when the US government was actively dispossessing Native Americans of their land and forcing them onto reservations. The commercial context of the image is important, as it served to promote the sale of cigarettes, while simultaneously commodifying and romanticizing Native American culture. The image is also self-consciously conservative, as it presents Iron Bull in a way that reinforces stereotypes about Native Americans. To better understand the artwork, we might research the history of the Crow tribe, as well as the history of the tobacco industry and its relationship to Native American communities. It would be interesting to explore the complex and often contradictory ways in which Native Americans have been represented in American popular culture.