Prairie Chicken, from the Game Birds series (N13) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1889

Editor: So, this is "Prairie Chicken" from the Game Birds series, created in 1889 by Allen & Ginter as a print for their cigarette brands, and held at the Metropolitan Museum. It’s a watercolor drawing. It has such a whimsical feel. Almost like looking at folk art. What do you make of this peculiar fowl? Curator: Peculiar, yes, but charming! It makes me wonder about what the viewer might expect from a cigarette card in that era. It seems less about hyper-realistic detail, and more about capturing the essence of this particular bird—its strut, its colors. There's a kind of joyful abandon in the application of the watercolour, wouldn't you agree? Almost childlike… did that read as childlike to you, too? Editor: Definitely. It's interesting that it aims for folksy charm, not realism. So, the aim isn't scientific accuracy? More about immediate appeal? Curator: I’d wager it’s about capturing attention in a marketplace of fleeting images. These were collected! People traded them. There’s a subtle theatre going on here, that rolled scroll detail reinforces it. Consider that the “naive art” style emphasizes vibrant colors, simplified forms, and flattened perspectives. And that's very present here, especially with the bold colors and flattened field. Editor: I see what you mean about the vibrant colours. Is this Allen & Ginter’s brand taking on a stylistic flair to reach audiences, do you think? It seems less commercial than I first expected! Curator: Perhaps it was more about finding a universal language – and that, in its way, feels incredibly modern, doesn't it? Editor: Absolutely. Now I see this "Prairie Chicken" as less of an advertisement, and more of a statement about finding joy in the simple things. Curator: Beautifully said. The unexpected places where art pops up, eh? Always a lovely thing to find!