Prong-Horn Antelope, from the Wild Animals of the World series (N25) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Prong-Horn Ant* from Allen & Ginter's * Animals of the World* (N25), issued in 1888. by the pioneering tobacco company Allen & Ginter in collaboration with lithographers George S. Harris & Sons, this tiny commercial color lithograph (just 2¾ x 1½ inches) was tucked into cigarette packages as a collectible incentive. These cards transformed everyday smoking into a gateway for education and hobby collecting, sparking a craze that foreshadowed modern trading cards. The artwork showcases the prong-horn antelope, North America's swiftest land mammal, rendered in vivid chromolithography—a breakthrough technique allowing mass production of rich, multi-color images from stone plates. This ephemera exemplifies the era's commercial art boom, blending scientific illustration with promotional flair to appeal to a broad audience, from children to adults. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this piece highlights how everyday objects captured exotic wildlife, fueling public fascination with the natural world amid America's Gilded Age expansion. A delightful glimpse into marketing history!

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...