Ada Rehan, from World's Beauties, Series 1 (N26) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

This vibrant chromolithograph, *Ada Rehan, from Beauties, Series (N26)*, the elegance of the celebrated Irish-American actress Ada Re, a star of the late 19th-century American stage. Issued by the pioneering tobacco company Allen & Ginter in 1888, this tiny card—measuring just 2¾ x 1½ inches—was tucked into cigarette packs as a promotional insert. Part of a popular series celebrating "World's Beauties," it reflects the era's fascination with female icons, blending celebrity portraiture with clever marketing. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a breakthrough in commercial printing, allowing mass production of colorful, detailed images at low cost. Allen & Ginter, innovators in the trade, helped spark a collecting craze among adults and children alike, turning everyday ephemera into treasured keepsakes. These cards democratized art, making vivid likenesses accessible beyond elite galleries. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this piece highlights the Gilded Age's fusion of commerce and culture. What began as cigarette bait now stands as a window into Victorian advertising ingenuity and the rising star power of women like Rehan.

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...