Big Chief, Ponca, from the American Indian Chiefs series (N2) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands
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
63.350.201.2.15
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American advertising with *Big Chief, Ponca a gem from Allen & Ginter's *American Indian Chiefs* series (N2). Produced in 1888, this petite commercial color lithograph (just 2¾ x 1½ inches) was a promotional insert for their cigarette packs, part of a popular trend where tobacco companies bundled collectible cards to boost sales and captivate consumers. Allen & Ginter, pioneers in the industry, issued these cards during a time when fascination with the American West peaked, fueled by Buffalo Bill's Wild West shows and dime novels romanticizing Native...
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...