Tartary, from the Natives in Costume series (N16), Teofani Issue, for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands
ca. 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
63.350.201.16.86
Tags
Art Historical Context
This small commercial color lithograph, titled *Tartary*, to the “Natives in Costume” series (N16) issued around 1886 by Teofani & Company for the American firm Allen & Ginter. Measuring just 2¾ by 1½ inches, the card was designed to be slipped into cigarette packages, where it served both as a stiffener and a colorful collectible. The image depicts men in traditional dress from the region then known as Tartary, reflecting the era’s fascination with global cultures and exotic costumes. Produced through color lithography, a relatively new technology that allowed bright, affordable images to re...
About the Artist
Allen & Ginter|Teofani & Company
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...