Holland, from the National Flags series (N195) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
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
63.350.216.195.12
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming color lithograph from 1891 belongs to the National Flags series (N195), a set of collectible trade cards issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Company, a prominent American tobacco manufacturer. Measuring just over four by two-and-a-half inches, the card was designed as a premium inserted into packages of cigarettes, encouraging customers to collect and trade images of national symbols from around the world. Its depiction of Holland’s flag and coat of arms reflects the era’s growing fascination with geography and national identity, as well as the marketing innovations of the Gilded Age. Pr...
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...