The John and Carolyn Grossman Collection, currently housed in the Winterthur Library, contains more than 250,000 items documenting the print processes of lithography and chromolithography from 1820 to 1920. Approximately 80,000 items including cigar labels, bands, and boxes, embossing dies, lithographic stones, progressive proof books, proof sheets, and original art work help to detail cigar box label production.
A selection of cigar labels illustrating women and sports are online. These two themes appealed to men who smoked cigars in the late 1800s and early 1900s. To attract customers, manufacturers turned to lithographers to create colorfully striking labels with a wide range of imagery. A true art for the masses, cigar labels visually captured American life at the time, from men's attitudes towards women to popular sports.
The finding aid for the collection is available at: http://findingaid.winterthur.org/html/HTML_Finding_Aids/COL0838.htm.
Grossman Collection 
