Chinese, from World's Smokers series (N33) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

This petite chromolithograph, titled *Chinese* from Allen & Ginter's *'s Smokers* seriesN33), captures a moment of global curiosity in 1888. Produced by the pioneering American tobacco company Allen & Ginter, it one of many collectible cards inserted into cigarette to entice smokers and foster a burgeoning hobby of trading and album-filling. Depicting a Chinese man engaged in smoking—a nod to exotic pipe traditions—this card reflects the era's orientalist fascination, blending cultural stereotypes with commercial allure amid America's Gilded Age tobacco boom. Crafted as a commercial color lithograph, the card's vibrant hues and fine details were achieved through chromolithography, a revolutionary printing technique that enabled mass production of vivid, inexpensive images. Measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, its diminutive scale belies its role as ephemera: everyday advertising transformed into cherished keepsakes. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, it exemplifies how 19th-century print culture bridged art, commerce, and collecting, offering visitors a tangible glimpse into the social rituals of smoking worldwide.

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...