Gaius Julius Cæsar, from the Great Generals series (N15) 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
63.350.201.15.5
Tags
About this artwork
"Gaius Julius Cæsar, from the Great Generals series (N15) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands" by Allen & Ginter|George S. Harris & Sons (American) from 1888 represents an important work in prints|ephemera. Created in commercial color lithograph, this work demonstrates technical skill and artistic vision. As a print, it demonstrates reproductive techniques of the period. The artwork reflects aesthetic values of its time, offering insight into artistic practices and cultural context. It demonstr...
Art Historical Context
This petite chromolithograph, *Gaius Julius Cæsar* from the *Great Generals* series (N15), was produced in 1888 by Allen & Ginter in collaboration with George S. Harris & Sons Measuring just 2¾ x 1½ inches, it served as a collectible insert in Allen & Ginter cigarette packs, part of a popular 19th-century marketing trend that turned everyday tobacco products into gateways for historical education and hobby collecting. These "cigarette cards" captured public's fascination with legendary figures like Julius Caesar, whose profile is rendered in vivid color against a simple backdrop, evoking ancie...
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...