This rare lithograph is a beautiful example of an early advertisement from the one time leader of snuff tobacco, Leyman & Bro. Manufacturers, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the late 1800’s and early 1900 era. This particular lithograph shows a bunch of soldiers standing around admiring their product, and possibly one standing at a counter preparing to buy some, or even sign up for some sort of military role perhaps? I find this interesting that the image over time does not really explain what the scene was meant to demonstrate when it was made. There is very little advertising on it, other than the name of the company and a reference to their No. 1 dry cut tobacco product. I suspect the product was so well known at the time that little was needed to advertise their product other than the name of the company. Patriotic images like this one were commonly used in the late 1800’s in U.S. based advertising images.
The Weyman & Bro. Company was a well known manufacturer for their snuff products. Modern day advertising collectors can easily find the companies large stoneware crocks which were used to distribute their tobacco product throughout the Pennsylvania and surrounding states. Collectors can also find early advertising trade cards from the company as well which were used to sell their product. I do not know when the company went out of business, but assume it was sometime not to long into the 1900 era given the lack of advertising items after the early 1900’s found to exist.