Bell Bird, from the Song Birds of the World series (N42) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes
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
63.350.202.42.6
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the vibrant *Bell Bird* from the *Song Birds the World* series (42), a delightful chromolithograph produced in 1890 by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes, with lithography by George S. Harris Sons. This tiny gem, measuring just 2 7/8 x 3 1/4 inches, captures exotic allure of the bellbird—a tropical songbird known for its resonant, bell-like calls—showcasing the era's fascination with global natural history. As part of the pioneering cigarette card inserts popularized by Allen & Ginter in the 1880s, this print exemplifies commercial chromolithography, a technique using multiple lithographic ston...
About the Artist
Allen & Ginter|George S. Harris & Sons
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...