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

Curator: Before us, we have "Mockingbird, from the Birds of America series," created in 1888 as a print drawing for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. It resides here at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It’s charmingly antiquated, like stumbling upon a relic from a gentler age. There's a real sense of tranquility. And those colors! The muted pinks and blues whisper rather than shout. A visual lullaby, if you will. Curator: Precisely. Note how the composition adheres to Japonisme, fashionable at the time. Observe the flat perspective, the emphasis on decorative elements. This print served a commercial purpose, yet elevates into something aesthetically pleasing. The subject matter, a single mockingbird perched amidst flowering branches, evokes the delicate beauty seen in Ukiyo-e prints. Editor: Right, the Ukiyo-e influence is undeniable. It’s fascinating how something intended to sell cigarettes borrowed such highbrow artistic strategies. It’s got that distinctive visual rhythm. Though, pairing it with cigarettes feels almost tragic, juxtaposing the delicate beauty of nature with… well, death sticks. Curator: An interesting, albeit dark interpretation. Perhaps the intention was to elevate the smoking experience, associate it with nature’s beauty and refinement? Editor: Perhaps! Though that’s the magic of art, isn't it? Everyone has their own read. For me, it’s a pretty image with an undeniably jarring context. What do you take away from the composition and use of color? Curator: The use of the circle and corner ornaments brings balance and formal integrity. Consider too the interplay of the warm tones of the bird and text on one side of the composition to the cooler tones on the opposite side. This, with the Ukiyo-e-influenced flatness makes for a formally arresting print. Editor: Okay, point taken, Formalist! I’m sticking to tragic-yet-beautiful tension in an outdated and lethal form. Curator: As is your prerogative. I find it an outstanding and successful work of decorative art—commercial but quite worthy of being featured within a museum collection. Editor: I’ll definitely never look at a cigarette pack the same way again.