Etta, from the Ballet Queens series (N182) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
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
63.350.216.182.23
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the glittering world of late 19th-century popular culture with *Etta, from the Queens series (N182)*, a charming commercial color lithograph produced by William S. Kimball & Company 1889. This print, measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, captures the elegance of ballerina named Etta, embodying the era's fascination with dance and female performers. Issued as part of a tobacco company's promotional series—likely inserted into cigarette packs—these cards were collectibles that turned everyday smoking into a pastime for enthusiasts. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a revolutionary tech...
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...