Siam, from the Natives in Costume series (N16) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands
1886
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
63.350.201.16.41
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century ephemera with *Siam, from the Natives in Costume series (16)*, a petite commercial color lithograph produced the pioneering tobacco firm Allen & G in 1886. just 2¾ x 1½ inches, this card was designed as a collectible insert for their cigarette packs, part of a series showcasing men from around the globe in traditional attire. The depiction of a Siamese (modern-day Thai) figure captures the era's fascination with exotic cultures, rendered in vivid chromolithography—a revolutionary printing technique that layered colors via multiple lithographic stones...
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...