Torquata, from Birds of the Tropics series (N38) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 7/8 x 3 1/4 in. (7.3 x 8.3 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
63.350.202.38.45
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Torquata, from of the Tropics seriesN38)*, a charming commercial color lithograph produced in 1889 by Allen & Ginter in collaboration with George S. & Sons. This petite card, measuring just 2 7/8 x 3 1/4 inches, was one of 50 in a popular series inserted into cigarette packs, transforming everyday tobacco products into collectible treasures. Featuring the exotic Torquata bird amid lush tropical foliage, it captures the era's fascination with natural history and distant lands, appealing to smokers and enthusiasts alike. Chromolithog...
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...