Example of card verso from Leaders series (N222) issued by Kinney Bros.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 3/4 × 1 7/16 in. (7 × 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
Burdick 218, N222.1
Art Historical Context
Step back into 1888 with this charming example of the verso from the *Leaders* series (N222), a set of collectible trading cards issued by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company. These pocket-sized gems, measuring just 2¾ × 1⅜ inches, were tucked into cigarette packs to entice smokers and spark a collecting frenzy among enthusiasts. The *Leaders* series likely featured portraits of prominent figures—politicians, military heroes, or celebrities—making them a snapshot of Gilded Age admiration for power and prestige. Crafted as a commercial color lithograph, this card showcases the vibrant chromoli...
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...