Ada Rehan, from World's Beauties, Series 1 (N26) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes
1888
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 in. (7 x 3.8 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick
Accession Number
63.350.201.26.40
Tags
Art Historical Context
This vibrant chromolithograph, *Ada Rehan, from Beauties, Series (N26)*, the elegance of the celebrated Irish-American actress Ada Re, a star of the late 19th-century American stage. Issued by the pioneering tobacco company Allen & Ginter in 1888, this tiny card—measuring just 2¾ x 1½ inches—was tucked into cigarette packs as a promotional insert. Part of a popular series celebrating "World's Beauties," it reflects the era's fascination with female icons, blending celebrity portraiture with clever marketing. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a breakthrough in commercial printing, allow...
About the Artist
Allen & Ginter
Allen & Ginter, the pioneering American tobacco firm based in Richmond, Virginia, emerged around 1880 from the partnership of John F. Allen and Lewis Ginter, evolving from Allen's earlier John F. Allen & Company. Allen retired in 1882, succeeded by John Pope, yet the brand endured under Ginter's leadership, employing over 1,100 workers—mostly women—for hand-rolled cigarettes by 1886. Ginter, a Dut...