American Light Brahma, from the Prize and Game Chickens series (N20) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1891

Editor: Here we have "American Light Brahma," a print from 1891 by Allen & Ginter, part of their Prize and Game Chickens series. I'm immediately struck by how regal the chicken looks! It's almost humorous, this formal portrait of a farm animal. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Beyond its humor, it reflects a late 19th-century obsession with categorization and control, doesn't it? These cigarette cards were essentially a form of advertising, but they also participated in the era's pseudo-scientific project of cataloging the world. Consider the racial undertones – even animals were being rigorously classified! This focus on purity and the ideal "type" says a lot about the social anxieties of the time. How does knowing this affect your reading of the image? Editor: It definitely adds a layer of complexity. I still see the humor, but now it's tinged with something darker. The very act of choosing this chicken, a ‘prize’ specimen, implies a system of judgement and ranking. Curator: Precisely. Think about what makes this Brahma "American.” It's a product of selective breeding, reflecting a desire to improve and refine nature itself, which is linked to concepts of American exceptionalism. Who is deemed worthy, even within the barnyard? It mirrors the anxieties around immigration, assimilation and citizenship rampant at the time. What did it mean to be American? Editor: Wow, I hadn't considered that angle at all! It’s much more than just a chicken picture; it's a snapshot of the social and political climate. I'll never look at a chicken the same way again! Curator: And hopefully, you’ll never look at any artwork the same way again. This piece reveals the biases embedded in seemingly innocuous imagery.