Nubia, from the Races of Mankind series (T181) issued by Abdul Cigarettes
1881
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 3/8 × 1 3/8 in. (6 × 3.5 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
63.350.246.181.26
Tags
Art Historical Context
This petite chromolithograph, titledNubia* from *Races of M* series (T181 was issued by Abdul Cig in 1881 as collectible insert in cigarette packs. Measuring just 2 3/8 × 1 3/8 inches, it exemplifies the ephemeral trade cards popular in the late 19th century, designed to captivate smokers and spark collecting fervor among Victorians fascinated by global ethnography. Produced via commercial color lithography—a groundbreaking technique for vibrant, affordable mass printing—the card likely portrays a stylized Nubian man, reflecting the era's blend of curiosity and racial typology. Such series ro...
About the Artist
Abdul Cigarettes · 1881–1881
Abdul Cigarettes, an enigmatic American entity active solely in 1881, stands as a fascinating footnote in the history of commercial art, best known for producing vibrant chromolithograph trade cards inserted into cigarette packages as promotional inserts. Little is documented about its origins or personnel, suggesting it operated as a short-lived publishing venture rather than the work of a singul...