Sacred Kingfisher, from the Birds of the Tropics series (N5) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands
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
63.350.201.5.38
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the vibrant *Sacred Kingfisher* Allen & Ginter's *Birds the Tropics* seriesN5), a delightful 1889 commercial color lithograph produced by George S. Harris & Sons. Measuring just 2¾ x 1½ inches, this tiny gem captures the iridescent blues and greens of the kingfisher—a tropical bird native to regions like Australia and the Pacific islands—in exquisite detail. Issued as collectible insert cards with Allen & Ginter cigarette packs it exemplifies the era's innovative marketing ephemera. Chromolithography, the printing technique used here, revolutionized mass production in the late 19th cen...
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...