Magnificent Bird of Paradise, from Birds of the Tropics series (N38) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes
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
63.350.202.38.21
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the **Magnificent Bird of Paradise a stunning chromolithograph from the 1889 *Birds of the Trop* series (N38), produced by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes and printed by George S. Harris Sons. These petite cards, measuring just 2⅞ × 3¼ inches, were tucked into cigarette packs as promotional inserts, sparking a collecting craze among Victorian enthusiasts. Allen & Ginter, pioneering tobacco marketers, used such ephemera to glamorize their products while introducing everyday smokers to the exotic avian wonders of distant jungles. Chromolithography, the era's breakthrough in color printing, all...
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...