Tartary, from the Natives in Costume series (N16) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Tartary*, a charming chromolithograph from Allen & Ginter's *Natives in Costume* (N16), produced in 1886. This tiny card, measuring just 2¾ x 1½ inches, depicts a man from the vast historical region of Tartary—encompassing parts of Central Asia—in traditional attire, capturing the exotic allure that fascinated Victorian audiences. Issued as inserts in cigarette packs, these cards were innovative marketing tools that doubled as collectibles, sparking a craze for trading and album-building among enthusiasts. Allen & Ginter, pioneering tobacco magnates, mastered commercial color lithography, a technique that allowed for bold, multi-hued prints produced inexpensively at scale. This ephemera exemplifies the era's blend of commerce and ethnography, reflecting Western curiosity about distant cultures amid imperial expansion. Though diminutive, its vivid details highlight the artistry of mass production, bridging fine art and everyday life. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department as part of The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, *Tartary* offers a window into Gilded Age pop culture—where a simple cigarette card fueled imaginations and hobbies that endure in today's trading card phenomenon.

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...