Duke of Rosebery, from the Racing Colors of the World series (N22b) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes
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
63.350.201.22.86
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Duke of Rosebery, from the Racing Colors of the series (N22b)*, a diminutive commercial color lithograph by Allen & Ginter 1888. This tiny card, measuring just 2¾ x 1½ inches, was one of many inserted into cigarette packs to entice collectors and promote the brand. Part of a popular series showcasing international horse racing silks, it honors the colors of Archibald Primrose, the 5th Earl of Rosebery—a Scottish aristocrat, racehorse owner, and briefly British Prime Minister—capturing the glamour of equestrian sport. Chromolithogra...
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...