New Mexico, from Flags of the States and Territories (N11) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands
1888
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
63.350.201.11.65
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American ephemera with *New Mexico, from Flags of the States and TerritoriesN11)*, a color lithograph produced by pioneering tobacco company Allen & Ginter in 1888. This petite card (just 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches) was part of a popular series inserted into cigarette packs, showcasing flags of U.S. states and territories captivate collectors and promote brands. At the time, New Mexico was still a territory—on the cusp of statehood in 1912—reflecting the nation's westward expansion and growing national pride amid post-Civil War unity. Crafted via chromoli...
About the Artist
Allen & Ginter
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...