Greece, from Flags of All Nations, Series 1 (N9) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands
1887
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
63.350.201.9.46
Tags
Art Historical Context
This vibrant chromolithograph, titled *Greece* from Allen & Ginter's * of All Nations, Series1 (N9)*, captures the Greek flag in bold blues and whites against a nautical backdrop, evoking the Mediterranean heritage of ancient Hellas. Produced in 1887 by the pioneering American tobacco firm Allen & Ginter, it one of 50 small cards inserted into cigarette packs as promotional inserts. These "trade cards" fueled a collecting craze in Victorian-era America, blending education with marketing to appeal to a broad audience, from schoolchildren to enthusiasts. The medium—commercial color lithography—...
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...