Wood Warbler, from the Birds of America series (N37) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes
1888
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
63.350.202.37.48
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate *Wood Warbler* from *Birds of America series (N37), a charming chromolithograph produced by the pioneering tobacco firm Allen & G in 1888. This tiny gem, measuring just 2 7/8 x 3 1/4 inches, was one of 50 cards inserted into cigarette packages, transforming everyday smoking into a gateway for collecting and learning about North American birds. Allen & Ginter, innovators in marketing, popularized these trade cards in the Gilded Age, blending commerce with education and sparking a nationwide hobby. Crafted as a commercial color lithograph, the card showcases the era's breakt...
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...