American Bittern, from the Game Birds series (N13) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *American Bittern*, gem from Allen & Ginter's Game Birds series (N13), issued in 1889. This petite commercial color lithograph, measuring just 1 1/2 x 2 3/4 inches, the elusive American bittern—a marsh-dwelling wading bird known for its camouflaged "freeze" pose reeds. Produced by the pioneering cigarette company Allen & Ginter and printed by George S. Harris Sons, it was one of many trading cards tucked into cigarette packs to entice collectors and boost sales. Chromolithography, the era's breakthrough technique for affordable, vivid color printing, brought natural history to the masses. These ephemera prints reflect the Gilded Age fascination with ornithology and outdoor sports, blending education with commerce. Allen & Ginter's innovative series, among the first of their kind, turned everyday smokes into treasure hunts, sparking a collecting craze that endures today. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this card highlights how humble advertising artifacts preserve cultural snapshots—here, America's growing appreciation for wildlife amid industrialization. A tiny portal to the past, it reminds us how art fluttered from factory floors to enthusiasts' albums.

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...