Fencing, from the Pretty Athletes series (N196) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 3/4 × 2 1/2 in. (9.5 × 6.3 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
63.350.216.196.19
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century ephemera with *Fencing, from the Athletes series (N196, a charming commercial color lithograph produced in 1889 by William S. Kimball & Company printed by Julius Bien &. This petite card, measuring just 3 3/4 × 2 1/2 inches, captures women engaged in the elegant sport of fencing, part of a collectible series tucked into cigarette packs to entice smokers and spark trading fervor. Issued during a tobacco boom, these cards blended promotion with popular culture, turning everyday purchases into treasures. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutioniz...
About the Artist
William S. Kimball & Company|Julius Bien & Co.
**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...