"Smoke Old Virginia Cheroots. 5 for 10 Cents" Advertising Sign

S. l. (Richmond, VA): P. Whitlock & Co., 1890. Very good. Advertising sign, n. d. (late 19th century); 10 1/4 x 6 1/4; heavy glazed card stock, illustrated with a monochrome lithograph and text in gilt; two tiny nicks to corners, else very minor wear to recto; verso with glue and paper residue (previously being framed or mounted in a scrapbook [?]); overall in very good condition.An uncommon advertising sign for Old Virginia Cheroots, it pictured a smiling lady in a respelndent dress and a headpiece, leaning on a rock (?), surrounded by creeping vines. A popular brand of cheroot, or a type of cigar, it was manufactured by P. Whitlock & Co. in Richmond, Virginia. The company was founded in 1865 by a young Polish-American enterpreneur, Philip Whitlock, who had immigrated to the US in 1853, at just 15 years old. He served with the Richmond Grays, a militia unit made up mostly of Eastern European immigrants during the CIvil War, before setting up shop with the help of his wife and six cigar rollers. His brand would become one of the major players in the tobacco industry, before being acquired by the American Tobacco Company in 1891 and later - owned by P. Lorillard before it would be discontinued during World War II.