T115 Views and Art Studies

These relatively square (2 7/8 x 3 1/8 inches) cards were produced by 
the Allen Tobacco Company circa 1903-1907 (Allen also distributed the T116 and T117 issues).  

There were at least two separate distributions of cards in this series, with the earlier distribution
(Group 1) consisting of what is believed to be a 60-subject numbered series and the later distribution 
(Groups 2 & 3) being an unknown quantity of unnumbered subjects.

Group 1 cards contain a number in the lower left of the backs, below the statement 
     This Collection Consists of 250 and the company address. 
There are 33 numbered subjects confirmed to date, with numbers ranging from 1 to 60, 
so it is highly doubtful that there were actually 250 subjects issued in this group. Allen used
60-card subsets in the T116-1 series so it is most probable that this group is complete at 60 subjects.
Some examples can be found with a purple ink hand stamp stating Factory #5, 3rd Dist. N.Y. in 
the lower left near the number.   All subjects found to date are uncaptioned.

The pictures used in Group 1 for the most part correspond with those found in the T116 series 
(with some cropping differences due to the T115 square versus the T116 rectangular size of the cards).
 All matching subjects can be found within numbers 1-120 in T116-1. Additionally, there are several 
that do not match any known T116-1 subject (as a note, pictures are available of 244 of 250 T116-1s 
so there are six unknown pictures that might match some of the unmatched T115 subjects).

Group 2 and 3 cards are unnumbered and contain “Factory No. 5, 3d District State of New York.” 
printed in the lower left below the company address (instead of the Collection statement and 
number found on Group 1 cards). Group 2 consists of similar subjects as Group 1 and T116-1 while
Group 3 consists of 15 known Japanese leaders in power around the time of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05). 

Group 3 may have been issued as part of the same distribution as Group 2, or could have been 
a special distribution for some major event such as the end of the war or Teddy Roosevelt being 
awarded the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating peace between Russia and Japan. Group 3 is fairly easy
to determine as all subjects are portraits with captions in white letters at the bottom of the picture area. 

Group 2, however, is anything but straightforward.
The pictures have been matched to subjects in all of the various subgroups in T116-1, 
with matches known from 1 to 228. Most known subjects are uncaptioned, 
but several have captions in white letters in the picture area (as is the case in the T116-1 subset of 
numbers 121-180,though in most cases the captions differ somewhat between the two series). 
Additionally, there are eight known subjects that do not match T116-1. This would imply the possibility 
that there could be 250 (or more) subjects in this group, but based on the fact that there are
a number of subjects that don’t match the T116-1 pictures, it is far more likely that only a portion of the
T116-1 pictures were used along with some additions to arrive at the final quantity of subjects distributed.  

Another complicating fact is that some of the subjects in Group 2 exactly match ones in 
Group 1 (10 identified to date). Cards having the same front picture with just back variations are 
not considered as different subjects. Therefore, to arrive at the current known quantity of subjects 
in the T115 series, one must add the totals of the three groups (33 + 63 +15 = 110) then subtract the 
common subjects (10) to reach 101 known subjects. One theory is that the company produced 60 subjects in Group 1,
 then reused some or all of those 60 and added another 60 subjects when issuing Group 2 
(total of 120 different subjects plus 15 in Group 3 would equal 135 total). 
Further research is necessary to validate or debunk this theory.

As a note, one T115 example has been found with a completely different back. 
The example has the same front picture as T116-1 No. 2 (also same as T115 Group 1 No. 24 except unnumbered). 
The back advertises Tellemark Extra Large Perfectos Cigars. With only one data point it is impossible 
to even speculate how many subjects were issued with this particular back.

Group 1 Numbered:

Numbers known with matching T116-1 number:

1	As T116 No. 88
2
3	No known match – Cows in field, single tree center right
4
5
6
7	As T116 No. 36
8
9
10	As T116 No. 109
11	As T116 No. 28
12	As T116 No. 81 (*)
13	No known match – Stream in foreground, snow, thin trees
14
15	As T116 No. 78 (*).
16
17	As T116 No. 45
18	As T116 No. 44
19	As T116 No. 43 (*)
20	Similar to No. 48 (*) – Windmill scene, people in road
21	As T116 No. 46
22	As T116 No. 98 (*)
23
24	As T116 No. 2
25	As T116 No. 100
26	As T116 No. 7 (*)
27
28	As T116 No. 120
29	As T116 No. 21 (*)
30	No known match – Dancer in wide round puffy skirt, legs crossed (same dancer as in 29)
31
32	As T116 No. 54
33	As T116 No. 59
34
35
36	As T116 No. 9
37	As T116 No. 15 (*)
38	As T116 No. 86
39	As T116 No. 27
40	As T116 No. 74 (*)
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48	As T116 No. 39
49
50
51	As T116 No. 41
52
53	As T116 No.  77
54      As T116 No. 119
55	As T116 No.  16
56
57	As T116 No. 11 (*)
58
59
60	No known match – Woman looking left, hair flowing to left

(*) observed with both Group 1 & Group 2 backs

Group 1 Numbered only seen with T116-1 subjects 1-120, with a few unknowns that may be one of the six missing T116-1 subjects or completely different subjects than found in T116-1.

Group 2 Unnumbered

1	As T116 No. 3
2	As T116 No. 4
3	As T116 No. 5
4	As T116 No. 6
5	As T116 No. 7 (*)
6	As T116 No. 9
7	As T116 No. 11 (*)
8	As T116 No. 12
9	As T116 No. 15 (*)
10	As T116 No. 18
11	As T116 No. 20
12	As T116 No. 21 (*)
13	As T116 No. 25
14	As T116 No. 29
15	As T116 No. 30
16	As T116 No. 33
17	As T116 No. 34
18	As T116 No. 35
19	As T116 No. 37
20	As T116 No. 38
21	As T116 No. 39
22	As T116 No. 40
23	As T116 No. 42
24	As T116 No. 43 (*)
25	As T116 No. 49
26	As T116 No. 50
27	As T116 No. 56
28	As T116 No. 57
29	As T116 No. 60
30	As T116 No. 66
31	As T116 No. 67
32	As T116 No. 72
33	As T116 No. 73
34	As T116 No. 74 (*)
35	As T116 No. 78 (*)
36	As T116 No. 81 (*)
37	As T116 No. 82
38	As T116 No. 87
39	As T116 No. 98 (*)
40	As T116 No. 99
41	As T116 No. 101
42	As T116 No. 103
43	As T116 No. 105
44	As T116 No. 106
45	As T116 No. 110
46	As T116 No. 119
47	Shipping District, East River, N.Y. (As T116 No. 132 except title different)
48	High Bridge, N.Y. (As T116 No. 134 except title different)
49	Ellis Island, N.Y. (As T116 No. 135)
50	Trinity Church, N.Y. (As T116 No. 140 except title different)
51	Flatiron Bldg. N.Y. (As T116 No. 144 except title different)
52	Grant’s Tomb N.Y. (As T116 No. 150 except title different)
53	Phila. Pa. Liberty Bell (As T116 No. 163 except title different)
54	As T116 No. 223
55	As T116 No. 228
56	No known match - Two women on beach, parasol, dog in foreground
57	No known match – Two women in fencing outfits, left holding saber across shoulders
58	No known match – Little girl with bonnet in path leading cow (similar to No. 205)
59	No known match – Two cows in field, man at right 
60	No known match – Windmill scene, people in road (similar to No. 48) (*)
61	No known match – Farmer on horse cart shoveling hay (similar to No. 68) 
62	No known match – Woodland scene – stream at left
63	No known match – Woman with long pole picking fruit, animals surrounding 

(*) observed with both Group 1 & Group 2 backs

Group 2 Unnumbered match T116-1 subjects above 120, some unknowns that could be either one of the six missing T116-1 subjects or unique subjects to this group. As a note, cards found between 121 and 180 in T116-1have captions. 

Group 3 Japanese Leaders (unnumbered, with captions)

(in strict alphabetical order)
	
1. Ad. Togo
2. Admiral Ito
3. Baron Kodama
4. Empress of Japan
5. Gen. Fukushima
6. Katsura Prime Minister
7. Leranchi Min. of Army
8. Lieut Gen. Hasegawa
9. Marquis Ito
10. Oyama Com. Land Forces
11. Prince Kanir
12. Prince Lt. Gen. Fushimi Chief of First Division
13. Rear Ad. Com. Uiriu
14. Tamaguchi
15. Yamamoto Min. of Navy