Fifth Avenue, from World's Dudes series (N31) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

This small chromolithograph of 'Fifth Avenue' was published by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes, sometime in the late nineteenth century. It belongs to a series called ‘World’s Dudes,’ and depicts a fashionably dressed man strolling down one of New York’s most affluent streets. The image speaks volumes about the social stratification of the Gilded Age. His top hat, tailored suit, and cane are visual markers of wealth and status. The setting, Fifth Avenue, was synonymous with luxury and exclusivity. Allen and Ginter were masters of turning commercial ephemera into cultural commentary; through the circulation of consumer objects, they shaped the popular imagination. By studying period fashion plates, social commentaries, and business histories, we can uncover the complex interplay between commerce, class, and identity in nineteenth-century America.