John C. New, The Indianapolis Journal, from the American Editors series (N35) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes
1887
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
63.350.202.35.32
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, American tobacco companies like Allen & G revolutionized marketing by inserting collectible trading cards into cigarette packs. This vibrant chromolithograph, *John C. New, The Journal*, from their 1887 "American Editors" series (N), honors John C. New, a figure tied to the influential Indianapolis newspaper. Measuring just 2⅞ × 3¼ inches, the card likely features a portrait of New alongside the Journal's building, blending personal portraiture with architectural detail to celebrate the era's journalistic pioneers. Chromolithography, the medium here, allowed for affo...
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...