Banana, from the Fruits series (N12) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1891

This is a chromolithograph of “Banana, from the Fruits series (N12) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands”, made by Allen & Ginter. The composition centers on a young girl delicately peeling a banana, set against a textured pink backdrop. The artist uses soft, stippled brushwork, creating a gentle, almost dreamlike quality, which evokes a feeling of nostalgic innocence. The choice of subject within this series is intriguing. Why elevate a simple fruit to the level of fine art, associating it with a luxury product like cigarettes? The image plays with semiotics, presenting the banana as a symbol of exoticism and pleasure, subtly linked to the consumption of tobacco. This strategy uses visual language to add value to the cigarette brand, suggesting a lifestyle of sophistication. Note the deliberate detail in rendering the texture of the banana peel and the girl’s hair. These formal qualities are not merely decorative, but function as signs within a broader cultural context, reflecting the emerging consumer culture of the time. The series invites ongoing interpretations about desire, representation, and the commodification of everyday life.