Young Whirlwind, Southern Cheyenne, from the American Indian Chiefs series (N2) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1888

Curator: Isn't it striking? This small portrait is entitled “Young Whirlwind, Southern Cheyenne.” It comes to us from a series made in 1888 for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. The company was trying to broaden its appeal, and these cards, trading cards, really, became enormously popular. Editor: It's strange to see someone depicted as “exotic” as part of an advertising campaign for tobacco—like a postcard from another planet. But even knowing the context, his expression grabs me. A sort of solemn… knowingness, perhaps? He seems like he is carrying so much history within him. Curator: The image itself is rather interesting, produced using color pencils and then reproduced through printmaking techniques. Look how vivid and careful the lines are in such a miniature scale! But what narratives were promoted in their product marketing through it? Editor: Precisely! It really makes you ponder how these images circulated. I'd bet that the goal wasn't truth telling or deep empathy; more likely this was designed to titillate viewers with a taste of the "Wild West", perhaps, boosting their colonial fantasies, and even, their consumer spending, as it served marketing purposes. Curator: And remember the cultural dynamics at play here! A person whose very way of life was under attack is being used to sell, well, basically smoke. Irony hardly captures the gravity, doesn't it? It’s exploitation, commodification, right down to the paper it’s printed on. Editor: Exactly! Yet, I can’t shake that arresting gaze, either. Those tired but fiery eyes somehow still transmit a sense of resilience and fierce independence that these companies couldn't understand at the time. In some strange way, it's like Whirlwind won. Curator: It’s that contradiction – the oppressive context alongside this man’s obvious strength – that gives the work such lasting impact. Thanks for helping untangle my own conflicting emotions. Editor: Likewise! These small, insidious images reveal much when we decide to examine them closely, right? It leaves one wanting to seek out Young Whirlwind's actual story, and those of his relatives.