Billfold, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 3) issued by Kinney Bros.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet (Round): 1 9/16 × 1 9/16 in. (4 × 4 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, N228.79
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Billfold, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 3)*, a diminutive gem produced by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company in 1889. This tiny, round commercial color lithograph—measuring just 1 9/16 inches across—was likely tucked into cigarette packs as a collectible insert, enticing smokers with whimsical imagery tied to everyday novelties. The tag "Women" hints at charming depictions of ladies interacting with or embodying fashionable accessories like the billfold (a precursor to the modern wallet), reflecting the era's blend of utili...
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...