Piping Crow-shrike, from the Song Birds of the World series (N42) 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
63.350.202.42.34
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the vibrant *Piping Crow-shrike from the *Song Birds of the World* (N42), issued by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes in 1890. This petite commercial color lithograph, measuring just 2 7/8 x 3 1/4 inches, captures the striking black-and-white plumage and alert gaze of this Australian bird, part of a popular set designed to delight collectors worldwide. Produced by George S. Harris & Sons these cards transformed everyday cigarette packs into educational treasures, blending ornithological accuracy with commercial appeal during the Gilded Age. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a revolutiona...
About the Artist
Allen & Ginter|George S. Harris & Sons
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...