Big Elk, Ponca, from the American Indian Chiefs series (N36) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

Editor: Here we have “Big Elk, Ponca” from the American Indian Chiefs series, dating back to 1888. It’s a colour print – originally for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. What strikes me is this tension: a very serious portrait offset by almost cartoonish vignettes of life in what appears to be a carefully-staged landscape. What do you make of it? Curator: The piece shimmers with that bittersweet feeling of looking back, doesn't it? It’s like finding a beautiful pressed flower in an old book – a reminder of a time and place, carefully preserved, yet tinged with the knowledge that it's gone. I am seduced by the idea of Big Elk himself - I wonder about the circumstances that placed him on a commercial cigarette card! Editor: Right? He's reduced to a collectible. So how does this differ from more fine art portraiture of the time? Curator: Well, there’s a clear shift in intent, isn’t there? The "American Indian Chiefs" series existed primarily to sell cigarettes. Although naive, there is clearly an intent of glorification of its subject by combining his image alongside an illustration of Ponca's "tools". This romanticization feels potent with contemporary echoes, don’t you think? Editor: Absolutely, this almost… packaged representation. Is that fair? It is fascinating but complex to behold. I almost wonder what the collaboration could have looked like, had it been designed through collaboration rather than commercial ends. Curator: Precisely! And that, perhaps, is where the heart of the piece truly lies - it evokes those uncomfortable reflections, making us ponder about the narratives we consume and the stories that remain unheard. Thank you for sharing that image! Editor: My pleasure. Thank you. I will look at such pieces through a very different lens now.