Thompson, R. F., Detroit, from the Gold Coin series (N284) for Gold Coin Chewing Tobacco
Medium
Commercial color lithograph reproducing drawing
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 1/16 x 1 3/4 in. (7.7 x 4.5 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
63.350.222.284.95
Tags
Art Historical Context
This small but vibrant color lithograph from 1887 features R.F. Thompson, a player for the Detroit baseball club, and was originally issued as a promotional insert in packages of Gold Coin Chewing Tobacco. Produced by D. Buchner & Co. of New York as part of their N284 Gold Coin series, the card exemplifies the era’s commercial printing techniques. The medium allowed for bright, affordable reproduction of drawings, making collectible images widely accessible to the public. In the late nineteenth century, tobacco companies pioneered the use of baseball cards to boost sales, capitalizing on the ...
About the Artist
D. Buchner & Co., New York · 1850–1900
D. Buchner & Co. was a New York-based tobacco manufacturer prominent in the American market during the 1880s, best known today for its Gold Coin Chewing Tobacco brand and the vivid trade cards the company inserted into its product packaging to drive consumer loyalty. The firm was one of numerous tobacco companies that, during the boom years of American commercial printing, recognized the marketing...