Black-Breasted Red Game Hen, from the Prize and Game Chickens series (N20) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1891

This chromolithograph of a Black-Breasted Red Game Hen was part of a series produced by Allen & Ginter for their cigarettes. Here, the hen is perched, alert, its plumage meticulously detailed. The figure of the hen transcends mere representation. Across cultures, the cock, the male counterpart, is a symbol of vigilance, pride, and even aggression. The hen, in turn, becomes associated with notions of nurture, fertility, and domesticity. We might recall the ancient Greek practice of sacrificing roosters to Asclepius, the god of healing, or the symbolic role of hens in folk traditions as guardians against ill fortune. The artists, perhaps unconsciously, tapped into a primal connection. The hen, a symbol of life and domesticity, is now promoting a product linked to mortality. This dichotomy might elicit conflicting feelings, a subtle dance between attraction and unease. As we contemplate the image, consider how such symbols, embedded in our collective memory, resurface, and transform.