President of the Republic of Colombia, from World's Sovereigns series (N34) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes
1889
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
63.350.202.34.11
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, tobacco company Allen & Ginter revolutionized marketing with their innovative cigarette cards, tiny collectibles tucked into cigarette packs to entice buyers. This 1889 chromolithograph, *President of the Republic of Colombia* from the *World'ss* series (N34), exemplifies that trend. Measuring just 2¾ x 1½ inches, it features a formal portrait of Colombia's leader, capturing the era's fascination with global power figures amid rising international trade and imperialism. These cards turned smoking into a gateway for education and collecting, appealing to a broad audien...
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...