Oregon, 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
63.350.201.11.72
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American ephemera with *Oregon, from Flags of the States and TerritoriesN11)*, a tiny yet captivating commercial color lithograph by Allen & Ginter 1888. This-sized card (just 2 3/4 1 1/2 inches) was part of a popular series into cigarette packs, showcasing state and territorial flags to captivate collectors and promote the brand. Oregon, admitted to the Union in 1859 as the 33rd state, is proudly represented here, evoking the era's westward expansion and growing national pride amid industrialization. Crafted via chromolithography—a pioneering color...
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...