Raven, from the Birds of America series (N4) 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
63.350.201.4.24
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, American tobacco companies like Allen &inter revolutionized marketing with colorful collectible cards inserted into cigarette packs. This charming *Raven*, from their 1888 "Birds of America" series (N), exemplifies that era's ephemera—small, vibrant prints designed to captivate smokers and spark collecting fever. Measuring just 2¾ x 1½ inches, it nods to John James Audubon's iconicological work while making bird artistry accessible to the masses. Rendered as a commercial color lithograph, the card showcases chromolithography's brilliance: a technique layering vibrant...
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...