Capitol of Indiana in Indianapolis, from the General Government and State Capitol Buildings series (N14) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 1 1/2 x 2 3/4 in. (3.8 x 7 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
63.350.201.14.34
Tags
Art Historical Context
This petite chromolithograph, titled *Capitol of Indiana in Indianapolis*, captures the neoclassical grandeur of Indiana's State Capitol in a vibrant, postcard-sized format (1 1/2 x 2 3/4 inches). Produced in 1889 by The Gast Lithograph & Engr Company for Allen & G's cigarette brands, it belongs to the "General Government and State Buildings series (N14 These cards were tucked into cigarette packs as promotional inserts, sparking a collecting craze among Americans in the Gilded Age and turning everyday tobacco products into gateways for education on national architecture. Chromolithography, t...
About the Artist
Allen & Ginter|The Gast Lithograph & Engraving Company
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...