Mr. Manton, from the Racing Colors of the World series (N22b) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century ephemera with *Mr. Manton, from the Racing Colors of the World series (N22b)*, a diminutive commercial color lithograph produced by Allen & Ginter in 1888. This pocket-sized card (just 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches) captures the jockey Mr. Manton, likely his distinctive racing silks, as part of a popular series inserted into cigarette packs. Allen & Ginter, pioneering tobacco magnates, used these collectibles to boost brand loyalty, turning everyday smokes into treasure hunts for enthusiasts. The artwork showcases chromolithography, a breakthrough technique that layered vibrant colors through multiple lithographic stones, achieving stunning detail and realism on cheap paper. At a time when color printing was revolutionary for mass production, these cards democratized art, blending commercial savvy with visual appeal. Horse racing's golden age in Victorian America and Britain elevated jockeys to celebrity status, and this series immortalized their "colors"—silks symbolizing elite stables and fierce rivalries. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this ephemera highlights how advertising fueled collecting culture. What began as a promotional gimmick now offers a window into Gilded Age leisure, reminding us how tiny prints packed big cultural punch.

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...