American Indian Dancer, from the Dancing Women series (N186) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

This small lithograph, *American Indian Dancer*, was produced by the Wm. S. Kimball & Co. as one of a series of cigarette cards. These cards, printed on thin paper, relied on industrial processes to create an illusion of detail. A dancer is depicted with vivid colors and linear precision that would be difficult to achieve by hand. The surface is smooth and flat, almost devoid of texture, a stark contrast to the depth and dimensionality associated with fine art. Kimball used the mode of chromolithography, a color printing technique that allowed for mass production with assembly line efficiency. These cards served as a marketing tool, inserted into cigarette packs, incentivizing repeat purchases and encouraging brand loyalty. The images traded on popular fascination with exoticism, simultaneously perpetuating stereotypes and fueling consumer desires. The industrial processes and commercial context of this lithograph blur the lines between art, advertising, and commodity, prompting us to reconsider how value and meaning are assigned to objects in a capitalist society.