Maurice Daly, Billiard Player, from World's Champions, Series 1 (N28) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1887

This lithograph of Maurice Daly, Billiard Player, was made by Allen & Ginter, a cigarette company, as part of a series of collectible cards inserted in their packs. Lithography is a printmaking process, where the image is drawn on a flat stone or metal plate with a greasy substance, then transferred to paper. This one is chromolithography - meaning the image is printed using multiple colors, which were applied in separate layers to create the final image. These cards were immensely popular, turning everyday objects into promotional tools. The original artwork may have been a painting or photograph, carefully translated into a print for mass production, requiring a skilled artisan to cut the layers. So, the next time you light up, consider the amount of work that went into the collectible that came with it!