Mallard Duck, from the Game Birds series (N13) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Mallard Duck* from Allen & Ginter's Game series (N13), a charming 1889 commercial color lithograph. Produced by the pioneering cigarette company Allen & Ginter in collaboration with printers George S. Harris &, this tiny card (just 1 1/2 x 2 3/4 inches) was inserted into cigarette packs to entice collectors and boost sales. Part of a popular trend in trade cards, it captures the majestic mallard in vivid detail—its iridescent green head gleaming against a naturalistic backdrop—celebrating the allure of game birds in Victorian-era hunting culture. Lithography, the medium here, revolutionized commercial printing by enabling mass production of colorful, intricate images at low cost. This technique allowed for bold hues and fine lines that made these ephemera both artistic gems and everyday treasures. As part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection—a vast archive of such cards gifted in 1948—it highlights the intersection of art, commerce, and collecting. These cards weren't just ads; they fueled a craze for birdwatching and ornithology among everyday folks, blending education with entertainment in an era before photography dominated. A delightful glimpse into Gilded Age consumer culture!

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...