Crossbill, from the Birds of America series (N37) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Behold the vibrant *Crossbill* from the *Birds of America* series (N37), a charming commercial color lithograph produced by Allen & Ginter 1888. This print, measuring just 2 7/8 x 3 1/4 inches, captures the red-hued bird with its quirky crossed beak, perched against a naturalistic backdrop. Issued as collectible inserts in cigarette packs, these cards were a clever marketing ploy during the Gilded Age, when tobacco companies like Allen & Ginter pioneered ephemera to entice smokers and spark trading frenzies among enthusiasts. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized 19th-century printing by layering colors from multiple stone plates for stunning realism at affordable scale—far removed from the grand folios of John James Audubon's earlier *Birds of America*. Allen & Ginter's series democratized ornithological art, blending scientific accuracy with commercial appeal and fueling a bird-watching craze. Today, this gem resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, a treasure trove of vintage cards gifted in 1963. It reminds us how everyday objects bridged art, science, and commerce, inviting collectors then—and museum-goers now—to marvel at nature's intricacies.

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...