Portugal, from the Natives in Costume series (N16), Teofani Issue, for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands
ca. 1886
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
63.350.201.16.79
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming commercial color lithograph from around 1886 belongs to the “Natives in Costume” series (N16), issued by Teofani & Company in partnership with the American tobacco firm Allen & Ginter. Measuring just 2¾ by 1½ inches, the card was originally tucked inside cigarette packages as a promotional giveaway, encouraging collectors to assemble sets depicting people from around the world. The small format and bright, printed colors made these cards both affordable and visually appealing souvenirs of the late-nineteenth-century global imagination. Allen & Ginter pioneered the use of colorfu...
About the Artist
Teofani & Company|Allen & Ginter (American|British) · |1880 – |1940
American, Richmond, Virginia|British