Limes, from the Fruits series (N12) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands
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
63.350.201.12.24
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming commercial color lithograph from 1891 belongs to the “Fruits” series (N12) produced by Allen & Ginter, one of the leading American tobacco companies of the era. Printed by George S. Harris & Sons, the tiny card—measuring just 2¾ by 1½ inches—was designed to be slipped into cigarette packs as both advertisement and collectible. Its bright, crisp colors demonstrate the growing sophistication of color lithography, a technique that made vivid imagery affordable for mass distribution at the close of the nineteenth century. The card’s subject matter pairs limes with delicate profiles ...
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...