Flower Dance, from National Dances (N225, Type 1) 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, N225.17
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Flower Dance*, a charming chromolithograph from the *National Dances* series (N225, Type 1), issued by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company in 1889. Tucked into cigarette packages as collectible inserts, these diminutive cards—measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches—captured the imagination of enthusiasts, transforming everyday tobacco products into portals for cultural exploration. This ephemera exemplifies how American businesses cleverly blended commerce with artistry, promoting their brands through series depicting global folk traditions. ...
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...