Florence Gerard, from the Actresses series (N190) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 1/2 × 1 5/16 in. (6.3 × 3.3 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
63.350.216.190.8
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of late 19th-century celebrity culture with *Florence Gerard, from the Actresses series (N190)*, a charming commercial lithograph produced by S. Kimball & Company in 1889. This print, measuring just 2 1/2 × 1 5/16 inches, captures the poised elegance of actress Florence Gerard, one of the era's rising stars on American stages. Part of a popular series (cataloged as N190), it exemplifies the ephemera that turned everyday tobacco products into collectible treasures. Lithography, the medium here, revolutionized commercial printing by enabling vivid, mass-produced colo...
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...