Amerigo Vespucci, Italian Navy, from the Naval Vessels of the World series (N226) issued by Kinney Bros.
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, N226.25
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of 19th-century collecting with this vibrant chromolithograph, *Amerigo Vespucci Italian Navy*, from Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company's *Naval Vessels of the* series (N226), issued in 1889. These petite cards—measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches—were premium giveaways tucked into cigarette packs, sparking a collecting frenzy among enthusiasts eager to amass global naval might. Produced by the innovative Kinney Bros., they captured the era's fascination with maritime power during a time of imperial expansion and naval arms races. The artwork showcases the sleek Italian Navy vessel ...
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...