Tartary, 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
63.350.201.16.45
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Tartary*, a charming chromolithograph from Allen & Ginter's *Natives in Costume* (N16), produced in 1886. This tiny card, measuring just 2¾ x 1½ inches, depicts a man from the vast historical region of Tartary—encompassing parts of Central Asia—in traditional attire, capturing the exotic allure that fascinated Victorian audiences. Issued as inserts in cigarette packs, these cards were innovative marketing tools that doubled as collectibles, sparking a craze for trading and album-building among enthusiasts. Allen & Ginter, pioneerin...
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...