Salmon, from Fish from American Waters series (N39) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th advertising with *Salmon, from Fish from American Waters (N39)*, a charming commercial color lithograph produced in 1889 by Allen & Ginter in collaboration with lithographers Lindner, Eddy Claus. This petite card, measuring just 2 7/8 x 3 1/4 inches, was one of many collectible inserts bundled with Allen & Ginter cigarettes to entice smokers and spark a collecting craze. Part of a series celebrating North American aquatic life, it depicts a majestic salmon alongside men and boats, evoking the thrill of fishing in American waters. Chromolithography, the era's breakthrough technique for affordable, vivid color printing, brought these scenes to life with striking realism and detail—perfect for mass production. Allen & Ginter, pioneers of the modern cigarette industry, revolutionized marketing by turning ephemera into coveted treasures, blending commerce with natural history education. Today, this card resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, part of the renowned Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, gifted in 1948. It offers a window into Gilded Age consumer culture, where everyday indulgences fueled artistic innovation and public fascination with the natural world. A delightful snapshot of history in your hand!

About the Artist

Allen & Ginter|Lindner, Eddy & Claus

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...