Burmese Dancer, from the Dancing Women series (N186) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 11/16 × 1 7/16 in. (6.9 × 3.7 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
63.350.216.186.35
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Burmese Dancer* (N186), a gem from the *Dancing* series issued by William S. Kimball & Company 1889. Produced by the Rochester, New York-based cigar manufacturer, this petite commercial color lithograph (just 2 11/16 × 1 7/16 inches) served as a collectible trade card, enticing smokers with exotic imagery while promoting Kimball's tobacco products. Part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection a treasure trove of ephemera gifted the famed collector—this print captures the era's obsession with global cultur...
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...