Order of Saint James, Portugal, from the World's Decorations series (N44) 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
63.350.202.44.36
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century ephemera with this charming commercial color lithograph, *Order of Saint James, Portugal*, from Allen & Ginter's *World's Decorations* series (N44). Produced in 1890, this petite card—measuring just 2 7/8 x 3 1/4 inches—depicts the prestigious Portuguese Order of Saint James, a historic chivalric medal symbolizing valor and devotion. Part of a popular cigarette trading card set, it captures global heraldry in exquisite detail, inviting collectors to amass a "museum" of international honors right from their tobacco packs. Crafted by the collaborative...
About the Artist
Allen & Ginter|Lindner, Eddy & Claus
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...