Pitta, from the Birds of the Tropics series (N5) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1889

This chromolithograph of a Pitta bird was produced as a collectible card in the late 19th century by Allen & Ginter, an American tobacco company. These cards, included in cigarette packs, were a popular marketing tool, reflecting a growing consumer culture and new advertising strategies. The image itself is part of a series celebrating the exotic allure of tropical birds. But while it presents an image of natural beauty, it's important to consider the social conditions that allowed for its production and consumption. The late 19th century was a time of expanding global trade and colonialism, which provided access to images and specimens from distant lands. What role did institutions like museums, zoos, and botanical gardens play in shaping public perceptions of the natural world? How did the growing popularity of collecting and classifying natural objects reinforce existing social hierarchies? To understand this card more fully, we might research the history of ornithology, the development of color printing technologies, and the cultural meanings associated with collecting in the late 19th century. This reveals the complex ways in which art, commerce, and science intertwined in this period.