Michael Le Basque, Each Man with a Prisoner, from the Pirates of the Spanish Main series (N19) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 1 1/2 x 2 3/4 in. (3.8 x 7 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
63.350.201.19.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
This colorful commercial lithograph, created around 1888 by George S. Harris & Sons for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes, belongs to the "Pirates of the Spanish Main" series (N19). Measuring just 1 ½ by 2 ¾ inches, the card depicts the pirate Michael Le Basque with a prisoner, capturing the dramatic and romanticized imagery that appealed to collectors of the era. Produced through color lithography, the print allowed for vibrant, affordable images that were inserted into cigarette packages as premiums. In the late nineteenth century, such trading cards blended advertising with popular entertainment, ...
About the Artist
George S. Harris & Sons|Allen & Ginter (American|American) · | – |
American, Richmond, Virginia|American, Philadelphia