The Smokin' Book of Cigar Box Art & Designs: More Than 100 of the Best Labels from the John & Carolyn Grossman Collection Paperback - 2012

From the rear cover

Fascinating Commercial Art That Defined American Culture In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, more than 5 billion cigars were sold in the United States in boxes with color labels depicting everything from women, animals, and sports icons to actors, heroes, and political figures. These cigar box labels were not only amusing and evocative; they were also a testament to the printing process of chromolithography, and an important precursor to today's product advertising. The Smokin' Book of Cigar Box Art & Designs gives you a glimpse into the unique collection of artist and ephemera collector John Grossman, which covers 90 years of cigar box labels printed by four generations of George Schlegel Lithographers. What makes this archive special is that the Schlegel company was one of the few lithography companies to keep meticulous sample files illustrating an unbroken record of American graphic style evolution. Now housed at the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library in Delaware, The John and Carolyn Grossman Collection provides a revealing look into life at the turn of the century. This book offers a rare look at the most beautiful and compelling examples of these masterpieces of early commercial art. InsIde you'll fInd a colorful gallery of vIntage labels, IncludIng: - Amusing Animals - Wild West - Everyday America - Famous People-Politicians, Actors & Actresses, Sports Icons, Heroes - Historical Events - Humor - Landmark Buildings - Transportation - Exotica