Johannes Gutenberg, printer's sample for the World's Inventors souvenir album (A25) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

This small card depicting Johannes Gutenberg was made by Allen & Ginter for their cigarette packs. The image itself would have been printed using a lithographic process, likely involving multiple stones or plates to achieve its range of colors and fine details. While seemingly unrelated to Gutenberg's own invention, the printing press, it is deeply entwined with the culture of mass production. These cards were essentially promotional items, meant to encourage brand loyalty, and only made possible by the very technology Gutenberg pioneered. Think of the irony - a cigarette company using a printed image of the inventor of the printing press. Consider the social context of the late 19th century, with its burgeoning consumer culture. Objects like this were instrumental in shaping that world. The card serves as a reminder that all forms of making are interconnected, from the hand-crafted to the mass-produced, and each bears the imprint of its particular moment in history.