Hand mirror with woman in ruffled white collar, from the Novelties series (N122) issued by Gail & Ax Tobacco to promote Navy Long Cut
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 1/4 × 2 9/16 in. (10.8 × 6.5 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
63.350.206.122.20
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th American advertising with this charming *Hand mirror with woman in ruffled white*, a commercial color lithograph from Gail & Ax Tobacco's Novelties series (N). Issued in 188 to promote their Navy Long Cut tobacco, this print (just 4¼ × 2⅝ inches) was likely a trade card—those delightful collectibles slipped into product packages to entice smokers and spark a collecting craze. The image captures a poised woman gazing into an ornate hand mirror, her ruffled white collar evoking Victorian fashion's emphasis on elegance and femininity. Chromolithography, the me...