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

This is "Brown-Breasted Red Game Cock" a lithograph created for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. What strikes you immediately is the composition—a proud rooster centered, stark against a soft, almost hazy backdrop. The textures are intriguing; the rooster’s feathers seem to bristle with life, contrasting with the gentle washes of color in the landscape. Consider the rooster as a sign, imbued with cultural codes of virility and aggression. The image, produced for a cigarette brand, taps into these associations, subtly linking them to the act of smoking. But there's a tension here. The delicate lithographic technique and muted palette soften the rooster's inherent power. This creates a disjunction. Is it a celebration of nature, a symbol of masculine prowess, or a commentary on the artifice of advertising? Perhaps it's all these things, layered one over the other, destabilizing any fixed meaning. Ultimately, this small card embodies the complex interplay between form, function, and cultural significance.