Brazilian Tanager, 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
63.350.202.42.10
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century collectibles with *Brazilian Tanager*, charming chromolithograph from the *Song Birds of the World* series (N42), issued by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes in1890. Produced by S. Harris & Sons this petite print—measuring just 2 7/8 x 3 1/4 inches—capt the exotic beauty of the Brazilian Tanager, a striking songbird with its vivid plumage, rendered in vivid commercial color lithography. These cards were tucked into cigarette packs as promotional inserts, transforming everyday tobacco products into gateways for education and collecting. Chromolithography, th...
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...