Mino Bird, from the Song Birds of the World series (N42) 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
63.350.202.42.26
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century ephemera with *Mino Bird* from the *Song Birds of the World* series (N42), a delightful chromolithograph produced by Allen & Ginter in 1890. This petite card, measuring just 2 7/8 x 3 1/4 inches, captures the exotic beauty of the mino bird, a striking songbird, in vivid colors. Created as inserts for Allen & Ginter cigarette packs, these cards were pioneering collectibles designed to entice smokers and spark a collecting craze among enthusiasts of all ages. Printed by George S. Harris & Sons using commercial color lithography—a revolutionary techniq...
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...