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

Curator: Here we have "Robin, from the Birds of America series," a print created around 1888 for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It's charming, almost a little too precious. Like a valentine from a Victorian gentleman, all bright colors and idealized nature. It's decorative rather than, say, scientifically accurate, which I suppose is the point when it comes wrapped around cigarettes. Curator: Precisely. Allen & Ginter was aiming for beauty and brand appeal, not ornithological accuracy. The drawing and print are examples of Japonisme. This piece blends an American subject with design principles inspired by Japanese art. The flat planes, the stylized blossoms... they owe a clear debt to Japanese woodblock prints, don't you think? Editor: Definitely! You see it especially in that backdrop, which is flattened out like origami, that's no accident. I’m also drawn to how such a delicate rendering exists to promote something so… not. A small beauty used to entice someone to buy cigarettes seems absurd. It has dark humor when you realize this. Curator: And think about the production of these cards. Tobacco companies relied on mass production, which also employed many workers. The pretty image hides the grittier realities of the industrial process. Editor: Right, all these fleeting moments of carefully constructed serenity plastered all over mass produced harmful goods! Even though that message could never fit, some strange feeling of guilt about profiting from this beauty clings. Maybe that's why it stuck in my head. Curator: It brings up many things that are interconnected and essential to observe: consumerism, exploitation of the natural world, and our complicated relationship with art. It's a tiny image, but a world of contradictions lurks within. Editor: A perfectly crafted microcosm of late 19th century anxieties and desires packaged neatly to boost tobacco sales. Who knew such a tiny robin could sing so loudly!