A Deadly Peril, from the Magic Changing Cards series (N223) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 3/4 × 1 1/2 in. (7 × 3.8 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick
Accession Number
Burdick 218, N223.32
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th American advertising with *A Deadly Peril*, gem from the Magic Changing Cards series (N), issued by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco in 1889. This petite commercial color lithograph, just 2¾ × 1½ inches, was tucked into cigarette packages as a promotional collectible. Designed to captivate smokers and children alike, these "magic" cards featured a clever optical illusion: tilt them, and the image transforms before your eyes—often from a scene of dramatic tension to a humorous or safe resolution. With its tag highlighting women, this card likely dramatizes feminin...
About the Artist
Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company · 1869–2011
**Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company (1869–2011)** Founded around 1869 by Francis Sherwood Kinney in New York City, the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company quickly rose to prominence in the burgeoning American cigarette industry. Francis, a pioneering tobacco manufacturer, experimented with hand-rolled cigarettes using blends of Turkish and Virginia tobacco, scaling to mass production by employing Europ...