Javelin, from the Arms of All Nations series (N3) 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
63.350.201.3.45
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming small-scale print comes from the “Arms of All Nations” series (N3), issued in 1887 by the Richmond tobacco firm Allen Ginter. Measuring just 2¾ by 1½ inches, the commercial color lithograph was designed as a cigarette card—one of many colorful inserts placed inside tobacco packages to stiffen the paper and reward loyal customers. The card depicts a javelin alongside shields and spears, part of a larger set that illustrated weapons from cultures around the world. In the late nineteenth century, such cards turned everyday purchases into miniature lessons in history and geography. ...
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...