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

This is Magpie, a collectible card from the "Birds of America" series by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. It's a small chromolithograph, a mass-produced image designed to be included in cigarette packs. Consider the context: late 19th century America, where consumer culture was burgeoning, and even ornithological art became a tool for marketing. The card depicts the bird in flight over a quaint landscape. The flip side advertises Allen & Ginter's cigarettes in a way that aestheticizes both nature and commerce. We might ask, what does it mean to package and sell nature in this way? This act reflects an impulse to possess and commodify the natural world. The romantic image of the magpie is juxtaposed with the realities of industrial production, raising questions about the relationship between commerce and the environment. The card serves as a reminder of how intertwined our desires, consumption, and perceptions of the world can be.