Indigo Bird, from the Song Birds of the World series (N23) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1890

This late nineteenth-century chromolithograph of an Indigo Bird was produced by Allen & Ginter as part of a series of collectible cards inserted into cigarette packs. What we see is an image of the natural world, but it’s also a window into the culture of its time. The commercialization of art through tobacco cards reflects the rise of consumer culture in America, in which everyday objects become canvases for advertising and promotion. Note how this card makes claims about ‘the world,’ but its real purpose was to sell an addictive substance. These cards also speak to the growing interest in natural history and ornithology that emerged in the late 1800s. Publications such as *Birds of America* were extremely popular at the time, raising awareness of the natural world. To understand it better, one could examine Allen & Ginter's business records, advertising strategies, and the wider cultural history of collecting.