Grace Raven, from the Actresses series (N203) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 5/8 × 1 3/8 in. (6.6 × 3.5 cm)
Classification
Ephemera|Photographs
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
63.350.216.203.261
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the glittering world of 1880s theater with *Grace Raven, from the Actresses series (N203)*, a vibrant commercial color lithograph produced by Wm. S. Kimball & Co., a prominent tobacco company. Issued in 1889, this petite card (just 2 5/8 × 1 3/8 inches) captures the poised elegance of Grace Raven, a celebrated actress of the era, as part of a popular series that traded celebrity portraits for brand loyalty. These ephemera were tucked into cigarette packs, sparking a collecting frenzy among enthusiasts who prized them like modern trading cards. Chromolithography, the medium here, was...
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...