Bob-o-link, from the Birds of America series (N4) 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
63.350.201.4.29
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Bob-o-link* from Allen & Ginter's *s of America* seriesN4), a delightful 1888 commercial color lithograph. Produced by the pioneering tobacco company Allen & Ginter, this card (just 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches) was tucked into cigarette packs as a collectible insert, sparking a craze for trading cards among enthusiasts. Drawing inspiration from John James Audubon's iconicological illustrations, it captures the bobolink—a blackbird celebrated in American folklore for its melodic song—in exquisite detail against a natural perch. Chromolitho...
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...