Dora Wiley, 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
63.350.216.203.301
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, tobacco companies like Wm.. Kimball & Co. a collecting craze with vibrant trade cards inserted into cigarette packs. This petite commercial color lithograph,Dora Wiley, from Actresses series (N)*, issued in 1889, exemplifies that trend. Measuring just 2 5/8 × 1 3/8 inches, it features a portrait of the actress Dora Wiley, one of many celebrated performers immortalized in the series to allure smokers and hobbyists alike. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a revolutionary printing technique that layered colors from multiple stones, producing affordable, eye-catchi...
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...