Weakfish, from the Fish from American Waters series (N8) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1889

This chromolithograph of a Weakfish was created as a collectible card for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes in the late 19th century in the United States. The practice of including such cards with commercial products reflects a broader cultural trend of using mass media for education and entertainment. The image itself, with its detailed rendering of the fish, speaks to a growing interest in natural history and scientific illustration during this period. These cards, distributed widely, served as a form of popular education, introducing diverse subjects to a broad audience. Allen & Ginter, as a company, played a role in shaping consumer culture through advertising. To better understand the history of this image, one might explore the history of advertising, the rise of consumer culture, and the development of popular education in the late 19th century through periodicals and commercial ephemera. The meaning of this artwork is, therefore, contingent on its specific social and institutional context.