Clam Fish, Warm Springs, from the American Indian Chiefs series (N2) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1888

Curator: The individual represented in this drawing seems both regal and incredibly self-possessed. Editor: That’s an interesting observation. This is "Clam Fish, Warm Springs" from the "American Indian Chiefs" series, produced by Allen & Ginter around 1888. These were trade cards included with cigarette packs. The portrait is rendered with colored pencil and then printed. We can certainly view this aesthetically as a striking artwork, but should also address its function as advertisement. Curator: Yes, absolutely. And how that very function influences our understanding. Note the attention to detail in the headdress – the interplay of blue, red, and cream-colored feathers creating a vibrant halo around his face. How are those natural materials procured, prepared and transformed into objects of adornment for symbolic or capital value? Editor: I’m struck by the symmetry in the composition; the way the artist balances the figure's face with the elaborate headdress and jewelry. And the careful use of color. There’s something inherently pleasing in that formal structure. Curator: It's also worth looking closely at what is absent: who drew this? Allen and Ginter. We have access to this "Chief"'s image through their drawings but, as far as I am aware, this rendering doesn't involve collaborative creation or financial benefits for Clam Fish or members of the Warm Springs. Editor: Do you see some inherent contradiction, there, that form obscures? Because I think the colors serve to bring the figure forward, while that bright headdress has a radiating, energetic quality to it. The technique creates this overall aura of strength and dignity, which, to my eye, transcends the limitations of its intended commercial context. Curator: I would simply propose that understanding the context adds further significance to this artistic endeavor rather than reducing it. In truth, this object has a power that I believe emerges from, not despite, the labor involved in constructing meaning via cultural production, reproduction, and circulation. Editor: Fair enough. It’s difficult to deny the image's undeniable visual presence, even if that power emerged through uneven forces of creation.