Gothia, from the Dancing Girls of the World series (N185) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 in. (6.8 × 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
63.350.216.185.23
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Gothia, from the Dancing Girls of the World (N185)*, a charming commercial color lithograph produced by Wm. S. & Co. in 1889. This petite print, measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 inches, captures the form of a dancer named Gothia, embodying the exotic allure of global performers. Issued as part of a popular tobacco insert series, it invited collectors—often young boys and men—to amass these colorful cards tucked inside cigarette packs, blending artistry with commerce. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a breakthrough technique of...
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...