The Impeyan Pheasant, 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
63.350.201.5.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century ephemera with *The Impeyan Phe* from Allen & Ginter's *Birds of the Trop* series (N5), issued in 1889. Produced by the pioneering American tobacco company Allen & Ginter in collaboration with Philadelphia lithographers George S. Harris & Sons this tiny chromolithograph (just 2¾ x 1½ inches) was tucked into cigarette packs as a promotional collectible. These cards captivated smokers and collectors alike, fueling a craze for trading sets that depicted exotic wildlife from distant tropical realms, reflecting America's growing fascination with global exp...
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...