Kirghiz, 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
63.350.201.16.73
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century ephemera with *Kirghiz, from the Natives in Costume series (N), Teofani Issue for Allen & Ginterarettes Brands* (ca. 1886). This petite commercial color lithograph, just 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches, captures a man in traditional attire, exemplifying the exotic allure that captivated Victorian collectors. Produced by Allen & Ginter and Teani & Company, it one of many insert cards bundled with cigarette packs to boost sales and foster a collecting craze—much like modern trading cards. The medium of chromolithography shines here, enabling vivid, multi-layered...
About the Artist
Allen & Ginter|Teofani & Company
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...