Butterfish, from the Fish from American Waters series (N8) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1889

Curator: This delicate "Butterfish," crafted around 1889 by Allen & Ginter, is a print made with coloured pencils that belongs to the “Fish from American Waters” series. What is your first reaction to this piece? Editor: I feel a strange mix of stillness and quiet observation. The fish appears almost suspended, a kind of ethereal specimen presented for study... It’s intriguing but a little melancholy, maybe? Curator: The muted tones certainly contribute to that mood. If we analyze the color palette, the pale blues and greys evoke a sense of calm detachment, don't they? The very subtle hatching creates textures in the "water," almost giving a sense of the current flowing around the subject. Also note that the high realism is remarkable, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect on a cigarette card of this era. Editor: Right? It feels like peering into a memory. Perhaps it is the watercolor effect giving a very modern, impressionistic style that conveys nostalgia, a longing for a simple existence with simple observations... but what really gets me is that it was intended for a cigarette brand. Can you imagine? A bit absurd, isn't it? Curator: Well, these cards were really more about collecting than the product itself. They functioned almost as miniature artworks, aimed at cultivating a sense of refinement and culture in their customers. One could even say it mirrors aspects of the then-burgeoning Japonisme movement—elevating genre painting into a fine art subject. Editor: Interesting! That’s what makes it feel simultaneously antique and forward-thinking, almost surreal. A fish...selling cigarettes...art for the masses, tucked in with their tobacco! Curator: Precisely. It disrupts the conventions of both commercial marketing and traditional fine art practices of the time. This disruption, or unconventionality, becomes quite beautiful to our contemporary eye, especially now framed inside a museum setting. Editor: You've given me a whole new appreciation for it. It’s really making me consider value, context, and the unexpected paths art can take. Thanks! Curator: Indeed! Thinking of this 'Butterfish' in terms of medium and market provides a unique lens through which we can reconsider and contemplate both artistic value and societal shifts.