Holland, from the Natives in Costume series (N16), Teofani Issue, for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands

Art Historical Context

This small commercial color lithograph, titled *Holland*, belongs to the “Natives in Costume” series (N16 issued around 1886 by Teofani & Company for the American firm Allen & Ginter. Measuring just 2¾ by 1½ inches, the card was designed to be tucked into cigarette packages, turning an everyday tobacco purchase into a miniature lesson in global dress. The image shows men of Holland in traditional attire, reflecting the late-nineteenth-century fascination with national costumes and the growing public interest in illustrated geography. Color lithography made such vibrant, affordable prints possible on a mass scale, allowing tobacco companies to reach thousands of collectors while advertising their brands. Allen & Ginter’s series capitalized on this new printing technology, offering a portable “museum” of world cultures that could be assembled album by album. Though created as ephemera, these cards now preserve a snapshot of how Victorians visualized—and marketed—cultural difference. Today *Holland* resides in the Metropolitan Museum’s Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, one of the world’s most important holdings of American trade cards. Its survival reminds visitors that even the humblest printed objects can carry both artistic and historical weight.

About the Artist

Teofani & Company|Allen & Ginter (American|British) · |1880 – |1940

American, Richmond, Virginia|British