Java, from the Natives in Costume series (N16), Teofani Issue, for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands
ca. 1886
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
63.350.201.16.72
Tags
Art Historical Context
This small but vivid color lithograph from around 1886 belongs to the “Natives in Costume” series (N16) issued by Allen & Ginter, one of the leading American tobacco companies of the era. Printed by Teofani & Company, the card was included in cigarette packages as a colorful incentive for collectors. Measuring just 2¾ by 1½ inches, it depicts a man from Java in traditional attire, reflecting the late-nineteenth-century fascination with global cultures that tobacco firms turned into popular trading-card sets. Commercial color lithography allowed these images to be produced quickly and inexpens...
About the Artist
Teofani & Company|Allen & Ginter (American|British) · |1880 – |1940
American, Richmond, Virginia|British