Geronimo, Apache, from the American Indian Chiefs series (N2) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands
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
63.350.201.2.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
This vibrant chromolithograph, titled *Geronimo, Apache*, a pocket-sized trading card from Allen & Ginter's *American Indian Chiefs* series (N2), in 1888 to promote their cigarette brands. Produced just two years after Geronimo surrender to U.S. forces in 6, it captures the legendary Apache leader in a striking profile portrait, his stern gaze and traditional attire rendered in bold colors. These diminutive cards—measuring a mere 2¾ x 1½ inches—were tucked into cigarette packs as collectibles, sparking a craze among Victorian-era enthusiasts. Allen & Ginter, pioneers of chromolithography, mas...
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...