Red Eagle, Prussia, from the World's Decorations series (N44) 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
63.350.202.44.27
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, American tobacco company Allen & Ginter revolutionized marketing by inserting colorful collectible cards into cigarette packs, sparking a global craze among enthusiasts. This petite commercial color lithograph, *Red Eagle, Prussia*, from their 1889–1890 "World's Decorations" series (N44), showcases a prestigious Prussian medal—the Order of the Red Eagle—in vivid detail. Produced by lithographers Lindner, Eddy & Claus, the card measures just 2⅞ × 3¼ inches, perfect for trading and album collecting. Chromolithography, the era's cutting-edge printing technique, allowed ...
About the Artist
Allen & Ginter|Lindner, Eddy & Claus
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...