New Zealand Parrot, from Birds of the Tropics series (N38) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1889

This "New Zealand Parrot" is from the "Birds of the Tropics" series, printed by Allen & Ginter for their cigarettes. The image is a chromolithograph, a type of color printing that involves using multiple lithographic stones, one for each color. Each stone is painstakingly prepared by a skilled artisan, who would have to be precise as each color needed to be in register. The flat, graphic style is a result of this technique, which predates modern photographic printing. The card was designed to stiffen the cigarette pack, and also to be collected and traded. These cards were essentially free gifts, incentives to buy a particular brand. In this context, we can see the image as part of a much larger system of production, consumption, and global trade. The parrot itself becomes a commodity, divorced from its natural environment, and enlisted in the service of selling cigarettes. Understanding all of this gives us a fuller picture of its cultural significance, beyond just a pretty picture of a bird.