The Tropic Bird, 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
63.350.201.5.48
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *The Tropic Bird*, a vibrant gem from the 1889 *Birds of the Trop* series (N5), produced by the pioneering tobacco firm Allen & G in collaboration with lithographers George S. Harris Sons. Measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, this petite commercial color lithograph was designed as an insert for cigarette packs, sparking a collecting frenzy among Victorian-era enthusiasts. Part of a larger trend in promotional ephemera, these cards turned everyday purchases into treasures, blending advertising savvy with natural history allure. Crafted via chromolithography—a revolutionary technique using mul...
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...