General, Pomeranian Cuirassiers, Germany, 1886, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes
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, N224.446
Tags
Art Historical Context
This vibrant chromolithograph, titled *General, Pomeranian Cuassiers, Germany,1886*, is a tiny gem from the Kinney Brothers Company's Military Series (N224), in 1888 to promote their Sweet Caporal Cigarettes Measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, these cards were tucked into cigarette packs as collectible incentives, sparking a craze for trading and album-filling among enthusiasts in late 19th-century America. Depicting a stern German general with sword in hand, it celebrates the elite Pomeranian Cuirassiers—a Prussian heavy cavalry unit known for their gleaming breastplates and disciplined prowess. ...
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...