American Bittern, from the Game Birds series (N40) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888 - 1890

This small card, "American Bittern," was made by Allen & Ginter for their cigarette packs. It is a chromolithograph, meaning it was printed using multiple lithographic stones, one for each color. The card depicts an American Bittern, a hunting scene, and a hunting dog with a bird in its mouth. These cards were produced on a massive scale. To keep costs down, the images were not hand-drawn, but rather copied from existing illustrations. The chromolithography process allowed for mass production and distribution, reflecting the rise of consumer culture in the late 19th century. What's particularly interesting is that these cards weren't conceived as high art, but as collectable ephemera. Their value lies in their ubiquity, and the way they speak to the relationship between commerce, leisure, and visual culture. The amount of work involved in the design, printing, and distribution of these cards is truly staggering. Ultimately, this humble cigarette card demonstrates the power of everyday materials and processes to reveal larger cultural and social meanings. It challenges our notions of what constitutes art, and invites us to consider the value of objects that were never intended to be seen as such.