Order of Saint Michael, Bavaria, 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
63.350.202.44.40
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th ephemera with this petite chromolithograph, *Order of Saint Michael,*, from Allen & Ginter's *World's Decorations* (N44), issued around 1890. Produced the innovative American tobacco company Allen & Ginter, these were tucked into cigarette packs as collectibles, sparking a craze among smokers and hobbyists. This example showcases the illustrious Bavarian Order of Saint Michael, a chivalric decoration founded in 1693 by Elector Maximilian Emanuel, symbolizing military valor and royal favor in Europe's aristocratic circles. Crafted as a commercial color litho...
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...