Cock-of-the-Rock, from the Birds of the Tropics series (N5) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands
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
63.350.201.5.36
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the vibrant *Cock-of-the-Rock a stunning chromolithograph from the 1889 *Birds of the Tropics* (N5), produced by Allen & Ginter their cigarette brands and printed by George S. Harris Sons. This tiny gem, measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, captures the exotic Andean bird—famous for its fiery orange plumage and crest resembling a rooster's comb—in exquisite detail. Part of a popular 19th-century trend, these cards were tucked into cigarette packs to stiffen them and entice collectors, blending commerce with the era's fascination for natural history. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolu...
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...