Rose-Combed Dorking Cock, from the Prize and Game Chickens series (N20) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th American advertising with *Rose-Combed Dork Cock*, a charming chromolithograph from the 1891 *Prize and Game Chickens series (N20), issued by the pioneering tobacco firm Allen & Ginter. This tiny card, measuring just 1 1/2 x 2 3/4 inches, captures the majestic profile of a rose-combed Dorking rooster—a prized breed celebrated for its plump physique and ornate comb at poultry shows. Produced by The Gast Lithograph & Engraving Company, it was one of 50 cards tucked into cigarette packs to entice collectors and boost sales during the Gilded Age's trading card craze. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized commercial printing with its ability to layer vivid colors from stone plates, mimicking hand-painted illustrations at scale. These affordable ephemera democratized art, blending realism with bold hues to highlight the rooster's glossy feathers and alert gaze, evoking the era's fascination with game fowl and competitive breeding. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this unassuming print underscores the cultural fusion of commerce, sport, and aesthetics. What began as disposable promotion now reveals how everyday objects fueled collecting passions, preserving a slice of Victorian-era poultry prestige.

About the Artist

Allen & Ginter|The Gast Lithograph & Engraving Company

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...