Hortense, from the Ballet Queens series (N182) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
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
63.350.216.182.32
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the glittering world of 19th-century ballet with *Hortense, from Ballet Queens series (N)*, a charming commercial color lithograph produced by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889. This card, measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, captures the elegance of its titular dancer amid the era's obsession with ballet divas. Issued by the Rochester-based tobacco company, it belongs to a popular series of collectible cards tucked into cigarette packs, transforming everyday smoking into a gateway for art appreciation and celebrity fandom. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a breakthrough in mass printing, ...
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...