Raccoon, from the Wild Animals of the World series (N25) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

This is a 'Raccoon', a chromolithograph from the "Wild Animals of the World" series created by Allen & Ginter, a cigarette company. The immediate visual impression is of a somewhat surreal, disembodied raccoon head floating amidst a stylized, almost dreamlike natural setting. The composition strikes one as odd. The raccoon’s head, rendered in meticulous detail with its fur delineated through precise lines and subtle gradations of brown, white, and black, appears almost separate from its environment. The formal arrangement suggests a play between presence and absence, challenging the viewer's perception of what is real versus what is constructed. The backdrop, with its dappled light and simplified foliage, creates an ambiguous sense of depth. This tension between figure and ground invites us to question the nature of representation itself. Is this a portrait of an animal, or a commentary on how we frame and commodify nature? The image destabilizes fixed meanings.