Deer Ham, Ioway, from the American Indian Chiefs series (N36) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

This small chromolithograph of Deer Ham of the Ioway tribe comes from a series of cigarette cards created by Allen & Ginter. These cards, featuring "American Indian Chiefs," were inserted into cigarette packs, reflecting a late 19th-century fascination with Indigenous peoples, one steeped in the throes of colonial expansion. The image, with its romanticized depiction, presents a constructed identity, one that catered to the white consumer market. Deer Ham is adorned with what are meant to be traditional garments and accessories, yet these are filtered through the lens of popular imagination, obscuring the realities of the Ioway people. This card is a poignant reminder of how images can perpetuate stereotypes, and how consumer culture can exploit and distort cultural identities, turning them into commodities. While seemingly benign, this card participates in a broader history of misrepresentation and erasure, a legacy that continues to affect Indigenous communities today.