Belle Archer, from the Actresses series (N190) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 1/2 × 1 5/16 in. (6.3 × 3.3 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
63.350.216.190.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of late 19th-century advertising with *Belle Archer, from the Actresses series (N190, a charming commercial lithograph issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. in 1889. Produced by the American tobacco company, this tiny card (just 2 1/2 × 1 5/16 inches) was part of a popular series featuring portraits of celebrated actresses, designed to entice collectors and promote Kimball's cigarette brands. Belle Archer, a stage performer of the era, embodies the era's theatrical glamour, her likeness captured in a format that turned everyday promotion into coveted keepsakes. Lithograph...
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...