Vignaux, Billiards, from the Goodwin Champion series for Old Judge and Gypsy Queen Cigarettes
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
sheet: 2 5/8 x 1 1/2 in. (6.6 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
63.350.214.162.17
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American advertising with *Vignaux, Billiards*, a charming commercial color lithograph from Goodwin & Company's *Goodwin Champion* series, produced in 1888 for Old Judge and Gypsy Queenarette brands. This tiny card (just 2 5/8 x 1 1/2 inches) captures the profile of billiards champion Vignaux, embodying the era's fascination with sports heroes. These ephemera were tucked into cigarette packs as collectible trade cards, enticing smokers—often men—with glamorous portraits of athletes to boost brand loyalty. Chromolithography, the printing technique he...
About the Artist
Goodwin & Company · 1850–1950
**Goodwin & Company (ca. 1850–1950)** Goodwin & Company, originally established as E. Goodwin and Brother before the American Civil War, emerged as a prominent New York City-based tobacco manufacturer in the mid-19th century. Operating from the bustling heart of Manhattan, the firm built its reputation on popular cigarette brands such as Gypsy Queen and, most notably, Old Judge, which became syno...