Bactrian Camel, from the Animals of the World series (T180), issued by Abdul Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the whimsical world of 19th collectibles with *Bactrian Camel*, a vibrant gem from the *Animals of World* series (T), issued by Abdul Cig in 1881. This petite commercial color lithograph, measuring just 1 5/8 × 2 3/4 inches, captures the distinctive two-humped silhouette of the Bactrian, native to Central Asia's rugged steppes. Part of a popular set tucked into cigarette packs, these cards turned everyday smoking into an educational adventure, sparking fascination with global wildlife during the Victorian era's natural history boom. Chromolithography, the printing technique here, revolutionized mass-produced imagery by layering vibrant colors through multiple stone plates—a breakthrough for affordable, eye-catching ephemera. Abdul Cigarettes leveraged this to create collectible treasures that families traded and displayed, blending commerce with curiosity about exotic animals amid growing colonial exploration. Today, this card resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, part of the renowned Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, gifted by the avid ephemera enthusiast. It reminds us how humble trade cards preserved snapshots of the world's wonders, inviting us to marvel at a camel's enduring resilience across deserts and time.

About the Artist

Abdul Cigarettes · 1881–1881

Abdul Cigarettes, an enigmatic American entity active solely in 1881, stands as a fascinating footnote in the history of commercial art, best known for producing vibrant chromolithograph trade cards inserted into cigarette packages as promotional inserts. Little is documented about its origins or personnel, suggesting it operated as a short-lived publishing venture rather than the work of a singul...