Hungary, from Flags of All Nations, Series 2 (N10) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands
1890
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
63.350.201.10.20
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Hungary, from Flags of All Nations, Series 2 (N10)*, a diminutive commercial color lithograph produced by the pioneering tobacco firm Allen & G in 1890. This pocket-sized card (just 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches) captures the Hungarian coat of arms or flag in bold, eye-catching hues, part of a popular series inserted into cigarette packs to entice collectors and boost sales. At a time when global exploration and nationalism were surging, these cards turned everyday smokes into gateways for armchair travelers to discover emblems from around t...
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...