Badger, from Quadrupeds series (N41) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1890

This chromolithograph of a badger was included in the Quadrupeds series of collectable cards produced by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. Made in the late nineteenth century, this card speaks to a very particular moment in the cultural history of the United States. As industrial capitalism expanded, so did the possibilities for mass marketing. Cigarette cards like this one became wildly popular, and companies sought to distinguish themselves by producing series on a variety of educational topics. The animal kingdom was a frequent choice. Note how the badger here is placed in a detailed habitat, as if to educate and appeal to the consumer’s aspirations to gentility and knowledge. To fully understand the cultural work of such an image, one could investigate how it was received, the role of the Allen & Ginter company in the economic life of the US, and the scientific understanding of animals at this time. Such images have much to tell us, if we only ask the right questions.