India Peacock, from the Birds of the Tropics series (N5) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands

Art Historical Context

Behold the vibrant *India Peacock* from Allen & Ginter's *s of the Tropics* series (N5), a delightful 1889 commercial color lithograph issued as a collectible insert in cigarette packs. Measuring just 2¾ x 1½ inches, this tiny gem captures the majestic bird's iridescent plumage in exquisite detail, showcasing the peacock's symbolic beauty and exotic allure from India. Produced by Allen & Ginter in collaboration with George S. Harris & Sons, it exemplifies the golden age of American tobacco advertising, when companies bundled stunning artwork with their products to entice collectors and boost sales. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized printmaking in the late 19th century by allowing mass production of vivid, multi-color images from stone plates—a far cry from earlier hand-colored methods. These ephemeral cards, now prized as ephemera, fueled a collecting craze among Victorians, blending education on natural history with commercial savvy. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this piece highlights how everyday commerce birthed accessible art, turning a simple trade card into a window on tropical wonders and Gilded Age ingenuity. (178 words)

About the Artist

Allen & Ginter|George S. Harris & Sons

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...