Mangosteen, from the Fruits series (N12) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th American advertising with *Mangosteen, from Fruits series (N12 for Allen & Ginterarettes Brands* (1891). Produced by Allen & Ginter in collaboration with George S. Harris & Sons this petite chromolithograph was one of many collectible inserts tucked into cigarette packs. Tobacco giants like Allen & Ginter revolutionized marketing by bundling these colorful cards—depicting exotic fruits like the rare mangosteen alongside alluring women—to entice smokers and spark a collecting craze among all ages. Crafted as a commercial color lithograph, the tiny sheet (just 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches) showcases the era's mastery of chromolithography, a printing technique that layered vibrant hues for eye-catching realism at low cost. This ephemera bridged fine art and commerce, making high-quality illustrations accessible and turning everyday purchases into treasures. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, it highlights the cultural fusion of exoticism, femininity, and consumer culture in Gilded Age America—reminding us how fruits and fashion fueled both trade and imagination.

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...