Dress Parade, from the Parasol Drills series (N18) 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
63.350.201.18.28
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th advertising with *Dress Parade* from the Parasol Drills series (18), issued by Allen & Ginterarette Brands in 188. This petite chromolithograph, measuring just 2¾ x 1½ inches, captures women in elegant formation, twirling parasols in a synchronized "drill" reminiscent of military parades adapted for fashion and leisure. Produced by Schumacher & Ettlinger, it was one of many collectible inserts tucked into cigarette packs, sparking a craze among enthusiasts who traded and albumed these colorful ephemera. The medium—commercial color lithography—revolutionized...
About the Artist
Allen & Ginter|Schumacher & Ettlinger
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...