Bar Harbor, from the Fancy Bathers series (N187) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 in. (6.9 × 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
63.350.216.187.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of late 19th-century advertising with *Bar Harbor, from the Bathers series (N187)*, a delightful commercial color lithograph produced by William S. Kimball & Company in 1889. This tiny gem, measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 inches, captures the leisurely charm of women enjoying a seaside escape at Bar Harbor, a fashionable resort destination in Maine popular among America's elite. Issued as part of a collectible series tucked into cigarette packs, it reflects the era's blend of leisure, fashion, and commercial savvy. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a groundbre...
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...