George M. Pullman, printer's sample for the World's Inventors souvenir album (A25) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

This is a printer's sample of George M. Pullman, made for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. It's printed on a small piece of paper, a chromolithograph made to be included in the "World's Inventors" souvenir album. The card uses chromolithography, a chemical printing process that allows for the mass reproduction of images. The production method, while now ubiquitous, was innovative and laborious at the time. Each color in the image would have required a separate stone, meticulously prepared by skilled artisans. It is worth thinking about the contrast between the high-tech character of the printing method and the skilled handwork that was still required at every stage. These cards were essentially advertisements, included in cigarette packs to encourage repeat purchases. The cards also reveal a social context in which smoking and collecting went hand-in-hand. By focusing on these types of materials and the processes behind their creation, we can better understand the historical context and cultural significance of everyday objects.