Annie Russell, from the Actresses series (N203) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 5/8 × 1 3/8 in. (6.6 × 3.5 cm)
Classification
Ephemera|Photographs
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
63.350.216.203.294
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the glittering world of late 19th-century theater with this charming commercial color lithograph, *Annie Russell, from theresses series (N203, produced by William S. Kimball & Company 1889. Measuring just 2 5/8 × 1 3/8 inches, this petite portrait captures the poised elegance of Annie Russell, a prominent actress of the Gilded Age, whose expressive features and stylish attire embody the era's ideal of feminine stardom. Issued as part of a popular series, it exemplifies the vibrant chromolithography technique, which allowed for vivid, multi-color printing on a mass scale, making high-...
About the Artist
William S. Kimball & Company
**William S. Kimball & Company**, a pioneering American tobacco manufacturer, was established in 1846 in Rochester, New York, by William S. Kimball and James C. Hart. The firm quickly grew into one of the city's largest employers, particularly of women, producing popular brands like Peerless chewing tobacco, Rigatta and Fireside smoking tobacco, and Vanity Fair cigarettes. Under Kimball's leadersh...