The Banded Aracari Toucan, from the Birds of the Tropics series (N5) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands
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
63.350.201.5.32
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the vibrant *Banded Aracarican* from the *Birds of the Trop* series (N5), a charming 1889 commercial color lithograph produced by & Ginter in collaboration with George S. & Sons. Measuring just 2¾ x 1½ inches, this petite print captures the toucan's striking black-and-yellow plumage, vivid red legs, and curved bill against a lush tropical backdrop—perfectly evoking the exotic allure of South American rainforests. Issued as inserts with Allen & Ginter cigarettes, these cards were part of a popular 19th-century marketing trend, transforming everyday tobacco products into collectibles tha...
About the Artist
Allen & Ginter|George S. Harris & Sons
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...