Hot air balloon, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 4) issued by Kinney Bros.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 11/16 × 1 5/16 in. (6.8 × 3.3 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
Burdick 218, N228.115
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the whimsical world of 19th-century advertising with *Hot Air Balloon* from Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company's Novelties series (N228, Type 4), produced in 1889. This petite commercial color lithograph, measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 5/16 inches, captures the era's fascination with hot air balloons—symbols of daring adventure and technological marvel—as well as the allure of women, likely depicted as intrepid passengers or aviators. Issued by the tobacco firm to promote their products, these cards were tucked into cigarette packs, transforming everyday smokes into collectible treasures. ...
About the Artist
Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company · 1869–2011
**Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company (1869–2011)** Founded around 1869 by Francis Sherwood Kinney in New York City, the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company quickly rose to prominence in the burgeoning American cigarette industry. Francis, a pioneering tobacco manufacturer, experimented with hand-rolled cigarettes using blends of Turkish and Virginia tobacco, scaling to mass production by employing Europ...