Colorado, from Flags of the States and Territories (N11) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American advertising with *Colorado, from Flags of the States and (N11)*, a charming commercial color lithograph produced by Allen & Ginter 1888. This card (just 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches) was one of many inserts tucked into cigarette packs, sparking a collecting craze among smokers and families alike. Issued just over a decade after Colorado'shood in 1876, it proudly showcases the state's flag or coat of arms, the young Rocky Mountain gem amid post-Civil War national expansion and patriotism. Chromolithography, the innovative printing technique here, allowed for vivid, multi-layered colors on a mass scale—revolutionizing commercial art from drab ads to eye-catching collectibles. Allen & Ginter, tobacco pioneers, used these "trade cards" not just to promote their brands but to educate on Americana, turning everyday ephemera into cultural touchstones. Though humble in size, this piece reflects how commerce intertwined with national identity, immortalizing state symbols for generations. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection—a treasure trove of vintage cards gifted in 1948—it reminds us of advertising's artistic legacy. A tiny window into Gilded Age ingenuity!

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...