Sitting Bull, Dakota Sioux, from the American Indian Chiefs series (N2) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1888

This small portrait of Sitting Bull was part of a series of cards distributed by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. The composition is immediately striking, focusing almost entirely on the figure's head and shoulders. The artist uses a restricted palette, mostly warm browns and reds, offset by the cool blues of the beaded necklace, and these colors create a sense of depth. The structural arrangement positions Sitting Bull centrally, inviting the viewer into an immediate, if mediated, encounter. The backdrop of diffused, pale blue serves to isolate the figure, emphasizing him as a singular and iconic subject. However, this aesthetic approach and composition also serve to flatten and contain Sitting Bull within the frame of early commercial culture. The card transforms a complex historical figure into a marketable image, commodifying his identity through the formal constraints of its design. The artwork raises questions about representation, authenticity, and the gaze through which we view historical figures.