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Primary sourceArtifact1888

Sitting Bull Cigarette Card (Allen & Ginter N2)

Allen & Ginter · 1888

A second 1888 trade card portrait of Sitting Bull issued by the Allen & Ginter cigarette company.

Another commercial card showing how Sitting Bull's likeness circulated as advertising during his life.

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Color illustrated cigarette card of a man in profile-facing portrait with a feather in his headband, long braids, and layered beaded necklaces, against a pale teal dotted background. Printed caption below reads 'SITTING BULL, DAKOTA SIOUX'.
Allen & Ginter, Sitting Bull trade card, American Indian Chiefs series (N2), 1888. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

This chromolithographed cigarette card from 1888 shows a profile portrait of Sitting Bull with a feathered headband, braids, and layered beaded necklaces, captioned 'Sitting Bull, Dakota Sioux.' It was produced by the Allen & Ginter company and is now held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Why it matters

This is one of many commercial images of Sitting Bull made during his own lifetime, showing how his fame was used to market cigarettes to the American public. These mass-produced cards reflect popular stereotypes of Native leaders in the late 1800s rather than an accurate, personal record.

Look closer

  • How is Sitting Bull posed and dressed in this image, and what message might that create for buyers?
  • Why do you think companies chose images of famous Native leaders for these cards?
  • What is missing from this picture that you would want to know about the real Sitting Bull?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sitting Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake) on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Handwritten manuscript page on lined paper, titled 'Articles of a Treaty' in ornate script, with an opening paragraph naming United States commissioners and Sioux Nation delegates, followed by 'Article I' below. The page is aged and yellowed with visible tears along the top and bottom edges.Document

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Fort Laramie Treaty

29 April 1868

Colored reproduction card labeled 'Chief Sitting Bull Sioux' showing a man in profile with long braids, two feathers in his hair, a red neckerchief, and a beaded vest with geometric and floral designs.Photograph

Primary source

Sitting Bull Portrait by William Notman

William Notman · 1885

Sepia-toned studio portrait of a man with a long braided hair, wearing a light patterned shirt and a feather headdress, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression against a plain backdrop.Photograph

Primary source

Chief Sitting Bull

David F. Barry · 1884

Black and white studio photograph of two men standing in front of a painted forest backdrop. On the left, a older man in a long feathered war bonnet and fringed, beaded buckskin clothing holds a rifle. On the right, a man in a wide-brimmed hat, embroidered jacket, and tall boots rests a hand on his chest.Photograph

Primary source

Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill

Wm. Notman & Son · 1885

Scanned page of the 1887 Act titled 'An Act to provide for the allotment of lands in severalty to Indians on the various reservations', headed 'Forty-Ninth Congress of the United States of America; At the Second Session', with handwritten marks and a 'Public No. 105' stamp.Document

Primary source

Dawes Act

Henry Dawes · 8 February 1887

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