In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, cigar labels were among the most technically demanding work in American commercial printing. Lithographers packed extraordinary detail into a small format, using rich color and gold embossing to signal quality on a crowded tobacconist's shelf. The salesman samples from this era are especially prized: printed to show retailers the full range of a line, they were never meant for retail use and often survive in exceptional condition. The period originals here come from that tradition.