George Armstrong Custer, from the Great Generals series (N15) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1888

This small card, a product of Allen & Ginter Cigarettes, hails from an era when commercial branding intersected with the romanticization of historical figures and events. The card presents George Armstrong Custer, of the Great Generals series, against a backdrop that exoticizes the American West. The juxtaposition of Custer's portrait with stereotypical imagery of Native Americans—tipis, figures in headdresses, and horses roaming the plains—reflects the complicated and often biased narrative of westward expansion. It places a figure of military authority, and the US army's conquest, at the forefront. The card does not shy away from the consequences of this expansion; note the figure lying prone in the background. The commercial circulation of such images reveals much about the values and perspectives of the time, including the branding of masculinity through idealized representations of military prowess. Today, this card invites a critical examination of the stories we tell about our history, and the voices that are often silenced in the process.