Chevalier E. Ginistrelli, from the Racing Colors of the World series (N22b) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

In 1888, the pioneering tobacco firm Allen & Ginter issued the *Racing Colors of the World* series (N22b), a set of vibrant chromolithographed trade cards tucked into cigarette packs to captivate collectors and boost brand loyalty. This petite card, measuring just 2¾ x 1½ inches, spotlights *Chevalier E. Ginistrelli*, showcasing jockey racing silks amid the era's obsession with horse racing—a global sport blending aristocracy, gambling, and spectacle. These cards were early marketing genius, precursors to modern trading cards, and part of the explosive 19th-century ephemera boom. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized commercial printing with its layered color process, yielding jewel-like hues on cheap paper that mimicked fine art. Allen & Ginter's designs democratized visual culture, turning everyday smokers into amateur archivists. Notably tagged with "Women" and "Jockeys," this piece nods to the rare but intriguing presence of female figures in racing lore, challenging Victorian gender norms amid America's Gilded Age thrill for speed and status. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection—a treasure trove of printed Americana—this card whispers of bygone pastimes, inviting us to ponder how tobacco tins fueled both addiction and artistry.

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...