Sullivan, Left Field, Chicago, from the Gold Coin series (N284) for Gold Coin Chewing Tobacco
Medium
Commercial color lithograph reproducing drawing
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 1/16 x 1 3/4 in. (7.7 x 4.5 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
63.350.222.284.91
Tags
Art Historical Context
This small color lithograph from 1887 depicts Chicago’s left fielder as part of the Gold series issued by D Buchner & Co. its chewing-tobacco brand. Measuring just over three by one-and-three-quarter inches, the card was designed to be tucked into tobacco packages, turning everyday purchases into portraits of professional athletes. Produced through commercial lithography, it brought bright, affordable imagery to a wide audience at a time when baseball was rapidly becoming the nation’s pastime. The card’s modest format and tobacco sponsorship reflect the close relationship between emerging pro...
About the Artist
D. Buchner & Co., New York · 1850–1900
D. Buchner & Co. was a New York-based tobacco manufacturer prominent in the American market during the 1880s, best known today for its Gold Coin Chewing Tobacco brand and the vivid trade cards the company inserted into its product packaging to drive consumer loyalty. The firm was one of numerous tobacco companies that, during the boom years of American commercial printing, recognized the marketing...