Derbyshire Red Cap, from the Prize and Game Chickens series (N20) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1891

Editor: This is "Derbyshire Red Cap," a colored-pencil print from 1891, part of the "Prize and Game Chickens" series for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. I’m struck by its folksy charm, it feels very American but also a bit exotic with its flat, almost Ukiyo-e inspired perspective. What's your take on this peculiar little artwork? Curator: What strikes me is the deliberate deployment of this image as advertising. Consider Allen & Ginter’s broader project – constructing a specific image of American identity at the height of the country’s imperial expansion. They utilized collectible cards of animals, actresses, and athletes. Where does a prized chicken fit in, and why use a visual language borrowing from Japanese prints? Editor: That's fascinating! It never occurred to me to think of cigarette cards as nation-building tools! So, the chicken...it’s about creating some vision of American farm life? Curator: In part. But look closer. The Derbyshire Red Cap is a *prized* chicken. This speaks to the commodification of nature, of idealizing a certain vision of rural life for an increasingly urban consumer base. The image flattens space in ways that resemble Japanese Ukiyo-e prints which are newly circulating within artistic circles in the West. What visual cues tie the image to this aesthetic, beyond the flattened picture plane? Editor: The limited depth of field and the subject placed close to the foreground is apparent. I am intrigued that these cigarette cards can give clues on understanding how cultural exchange shapes visual language and the formation of identity! Curator: Exactly. This card reflects a complex interplay between consumer culture, agricultural ideals, and global artistic exchange. Paying attention to everyday images such as this is vital for uncovering a deeper understanding of societal values. Editor: Thinking about its original use really shifts my perspective on its artistic and cultural value! Thank you for pointing all of that out to me.