Amandava, from the Song Birds of the World series (N42) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1890

This is "Amandava, from the Song Birds of the World series (N42) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes," a chromolithograph trading card. It was made in the late 19th century, during a time when consumer culture was rapidly expanding. These cards were inserted into cigarette packs as a marketing strategy. What does it mean to package an exotic bird alongside a highly addictive substance? The series speaks to the desire for the new, the exotic, and the global, while also highlighting the complex relationship between commerce, desire, and exploitation. The image of the Amandava, or red avadavat, is romanticized, stripped of its natural habitat, and reduced to a beautiful, marketable object. This commercial reduction mirrors the colonial dynamics of the time, where lands and beings were similarly commodified and exploited. The avadavat's beauty is undeniable, yet its presence on a cigarette card prompts us to consider the underlying power structures that made such images possible.