Card 9, Jack McAuliffe, from the Prizefighters series (N269) issued by P. Lorillard Company to promote Mechanics Delight Long Cut Tobacco

Art Historical Context

This vibrant 1887 color lithograph is Card 9 from the Prizefighters series (N269), a promotional tobacco card issued by the P. Lorillard Company to advertise Mechanics Delight Long Cut Tobacco. Produced by Ballin & Liebler Lithography, the small sheet—measuring just 3 11/16 by 2 3/8 inches—features a portrait of Irish-American boxer Jack McAuliffe, capturing him in a confident pose that highlights his athletic prowess. As commercial ephemera, these cards were tucked into tobacco packages to encourage repeat purchases and build brand loyalty among consumers. In the late nineteenth century, priefighting enjoyed surging popularity in America, and tobacco companies capitalized on this enthusiasm by issuing series of athlete portraits. Color lithography allowed for affordable, eye-catching reproductions that brought dynamic images of boxers, baseball players, and other sports figures into everyday life. The crisp lines and bold hues of this card exemplify the era’s advances in printing technology, transforming advertising into miniature works of art that doubled as collectibles. Today, this piece resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Drawings and Prints department as part of the Jefferson R. Burdick Collection. It offers a fascinating glimpse into how popular culture, commerce, and graphic design intersected during the Gilded Age.

About the Artist

Ballin & Liebler Lithography|P. Lorillard Company (American| ) · 1760 | –2014 |

American|