Guava, from the Fruits series (N12) 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
63.350.201.12.20
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th advertising with *Guava, from the Fruits series (N) for Allen & Ginter Cig Brands* (1891), a delightful chromolithograph produced by Allen & Ginter in collaboration with George S. & Sons. These tiny cards, measuring just 2¾ x 1½ inches, were tucked into cigarette packages as promotional inserts, sparking a collecting frenzy among adults and children alike. Allen & Ginter, pioneers of modern cigarette marketing, issued dozens of themed series—from fruits to sports figures—turning everyday smokes into treasure hunts and boosting brand loyalty during the Gilded...
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...