Napoleon Bonaparte, from the Great Generals series (N15) 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
63.350.201.15.33
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with this petite commercial color lithograph,Napoleon Bonaparte*, from Allen & Ginter's * Generals* series (15). Produced in 1888 by George S. Harris & Sons this tiny card—measuring just 2¾ 1½ inches—was designed as an insert for Allen & Ginter cigarette packs Tobacco companies like Allen & Ginter pioneered these collectible cards to entice smokers, turning everyday purchases into a hunt for historical heroes. Napoleon I, the legendary French emperor and military strategist, is depicted here as an enduring icon of power and ambition, his ...
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...