Tri-colored Cockatoo, from Birds of the Tropics series (N38) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1889

This small print, Tri-colored Cockatoo, from the Birds of the Tropics series, was made by Allen & Ginter for cigarette cards. Its divided composition of two scenes—one with the cockatoo and the other of sailboats—creates a study in contrasts and parallel visual rhythms. Notice how the artist uses an almost symmetrical arrangement. On the left, the cockatoo is perched, its form echoed by the palm trees in the background. On the right, sailboats mirror this verticality, framed by the soft, curvilinear map outline. The colors, too, are carefully balanced: the red accents of the cockatoo's crest and wing find a counterpart in the sails, creating a visual harmony across the piece. It challenges fixed meanings, suggesting that beauty can be found in the most commonplace of objects, like a cigarette card, blurring the lines between art and commodity, nature and artifice.