Agate Arrow Point, Warm Springs, from the American Indian Chiefs series (N36) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes
1888
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 7/8 x 3 1/4 in. (7.3 x 8.3 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
63.350.202.36.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th ephemera with *Agate Arrow Point Warm Springs*, a captivating portrait from the *American Indian Chiefs* seriesN36), issued by the pioneering tobacco company Allen & Ginter in 1888. This petite commercial color lithograph, measuring just 2 7/8 x 3 1/4 inches, captures the likeness of a Native American leader from the Warm area—likely the Oregon reservation—amid the era's growing fascination with Indigenous cultures. These cards were tucked into cigarette packs as collectibles, blending advertising savvy with popular portraiture to entice smokers and hobbyist...
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...