Shah of Persia, 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
63.350.202.34.33
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century ephemera with *Shah of Persia* from Allen & Ginter's *'s Sovereigns* seriesN34), a diminutive commercial color lithograph in 1889. This tiny card, measuring just 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches, captures a regal portrait of the Shah—likely Naser al-D Shah Qajar of Persia—flanked by majestic lions, symbols of royal power and ferocity. Issued as inserts in cigarette packs by the innovative American tobacco firm Allen & Ginter, these cards were designed to entice smokers and spark collecting fervor among enthusiasts. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a brea...
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...