Indigo Bird, from the Song Birds of the World series (N42) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 7/8 x 3 1/4 in. (7.3 x 8.3 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
63.350.202.42.19
Tags
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the enchanting world of 19th-century ephemera at the Metropolitan Museum of Art! "Indigo Bird, from the Song Birds of the World series (N42)" is a delightful chromolithograph produced in 1890 by Allen & Ginter in collaboration with George S. Harris & Sons. This tiny gem, measuring just 2 7/8 x 3 1/4 inches, was one of 50 cards inserted into cigarette packs as collectible trading cards—a clever marketing innovation by the tobacco company to boost sales and captivate enthusiasts. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized commercial printing with its ability to layer vibrant ...
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...