Butterfish, from Fish from American Waters series (N39) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1889

Editor: So this is "Butterfish," from the "Fish from American Waters" series, made by Allen & Ginter for cigarettes in 1889. It seems to be a print made from watercolor and colored pencil drawings. It’s a pretty strange image: a butterfish floating above a woman seemingly cooking the same fish. What do you make of it? Curator: This unassuming little card speaks volumes about the industrialization of taste. The chromolithographic printing process allowed Allen & Ginter to mass-produce these images, embedding them in cigarette packs. We have to consider how this widespread circulation shaped consumer desire and promoted specific images of American bounty. Editor: So, it’s about more than just pretty pictures of fish? Curator: Exactly! Look closely. The "naive art" style, as it's sometimes labeled, belies a sophisticated marketing strategy. The choice of subject matter—a desirable food source—combined with the domestic scene… It all normalizes and elevates everyday consumer habits surrounding the purchasing and consumption of goods. Consider the labor involved in both catching the fish and its eventual consumption. Editor: That's fascinating. It’s almost like propaganda for a particular lifestyle. Curator: Precisely. What boundaries are challenged or reinforced by combining labor with material? By framing these consumer objects as collectables? Editor: I never would have considered all those angles. I’m now thinking of all the hidden ways marketing shapes what we value. Curator: Indeed. This small card reflects a much larger system of production, consumption, and the cultural construction of value.