West Virginia, from Flags of the States and Territories (N11) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands
1888
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
63.350.201.11.95
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, American tobacco companies like Allen & G revolutionized marketing with collectible cigarette cards, turning everyday purchases into treasures for enthusiasts. This vibrant chromolithograph, *West Virginia, from Flags of the States and TerritoriesN11)*, issued in 1888, captures the spirit of national pride just 25 years after West Virginia's statehood in 1863 amid the Civil War. Part of a series showcasing state flags and coats of arms, it invited collectors to assemble a patriotic mosaic of the growing United States. Printed as a commercial color lithograph on a dim...
About the Artist
Allen & Ginter
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...