Snow Bunting, from the Birds of America series (N37) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

Editor: So, this is "Snow Bunting" from the "Birds of America" series by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes, created in 1888. It looks like a small print or drawing. The bird is beautifully detailed, but it's also... selling cigarettes. How should we think about that? Curator: Exactly! Consider the convergence: Watercolor and printmaking, traditionally distinct categories, united for mass-produced advertising. Allen & Ginter were actively blurring the lines between "high" art and commercial appeal. What does the inclusion of "Birds of America" – a seemingly educational or even artistic series – within cigarette packaging tell us about the commodification of knowledge and even nature itself? Editor: It’s like nature becoming another desirable object. Cigarettes aren’t exactly natural or good for you... So how did they produce these cards? Curator: Mass production is key. Lithography allowed for the reproduction of these images at scale. Think about the labour involved: from the initial artist creating the watercolor to the factory workers operating the printing presses and packaging the cigarettes. The process itself transforms the image into a commodity, tied to consumerism and perhaps even exploitative labor practices. Editor: It really changes my perspective knowing it's connected to a cigarette company. I was initially drawn in by the beauty of the artwork. Curator: And that tension, between artistic representation and its role in commerce, is what makes this object so interesting! The seemingly innocent image masks a complex web of production, consumption, and societal values. Editor: I never would have considered that cigarettes and art could even come close to intertwining. It’s all interconnected! Curator: Precisely. Everything stems from materials, from intention, and social structure. It all informs the narrative, and can change everything if we look closer.