Young Whirlwind, Southern Cheyenne, from the American Indian Chiefs series (N36) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

This vibrant card featuring Young Whirlwind of the Southern Cheyenne tribe was made by Allen & Ginter, a cigarette company, as part of a series of American Indian Chiefs. These cards were inserted into cigarette packs, a marketing tactic that reveals much about the cultural context of the time. These images circulated during a period of intense conflict and displacement for Indigenous peoples. The commercial use of Indigenous likenesses flattens complex identities, reducing individuals to marketable stereotypes. The inclusion of items of cultural significance such as a pipe flattens the significance of sacred objects. The very act of commodifying Young Whirlwind's image speaks volumes about the power dynamics between the colonizers and the colonized. Consider how this image, meant for mass consumption, both reflects and shapes societal attitudes towards Native Americans during this tumultuous period in American history.