Carolina Parrot, from the Birds of America series (N4) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1888

Editor: So, this is the “Carolina Parrot, from the Birds of America series (N4)” made by Allen & Ginter in 1888. It's a drawing and print, touched with watercolor, and feels very…folksy? The parrot itself is beautifully detailed, but the overall design strikes me as slightly naive. What jumps out at you? Curator: You know, "naive" is interesting because it gets at this piece's undeniable charm. It is as if someone dreamt of Ukiyo-e, after perhaps one too many cups of coffee, then translated that memory of Japonisme into this gorgeous little parrot! The cultural context is really compelling. Allen & Ginter were a cigarette company, and these cards, stunning watercolors I might add, were collectible inserts. What's not to love? It feels less like accurate ornithological illustration and more like a vibrant, flattened memory of something exotic, maybe something slightly melancholy, too, as the Carolina Parrot is now extinct. Does it whisper stories of loss to you, or is it just me? Editor: That’s fascinating, I hadn’t considered the connection between Japonisme and advertising, or the parrot's extinction! The "flattened memory" aspect makes so much sense. I can almost feel that longing for something far away and perhaps unattainable. It's a bittersweet kind of beauty. Curator: Exactly! It's the feeling of catching a fleeting glimpse of something precious and then watching it vanish. Art often holds these paradoxes, doesn't it? A simple cigarette card can be a repository of cultural history and ecological grief! I think my intuitive perspective finds harmony in this piece as a conversation with memory and loss. Editor: I totally agree! I’ll definitely look at similar works with new eyes now. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! It was a pleasure venturing into our avian memory lane, together.