Eight of Spades, The German, from Harlequin Cards, 2nd Series (N220) issued by Kinney Bros.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 3/4 × 1 1/2 in. (7 × 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
Burdick 218, N220.10
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th American advertising with *Eight of Spades, German*, a charming card from the *Harlequin Cards, nd Series (N220 issued by the Kinney Tobacco Company in 188. This petite commercial color lithograph, measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, was designed as a collectible insert in cigarette packs, transforming everyday tobacco products into a gateway for playful pastimes. Part of a themed deck blending playing cards with harlequin motifs, it features the Eight of Spades personified as "The German," evoking the era's fascination with ethnic characters and fantasy figures....
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...