Irish Jig, from National Dances (N225, Type 2) issued by Kinney Bros.
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
Burdick 218, N225.111
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the lively world of 19th American ephemera with *Irish Jig, from Dances (N225, Type 2)*, a charming commercial color lithograph issued the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company in 9. This petite print, measuring just 2 3/4 × 1 1/2 inches, was part of a popular series of trading cards distributed with tobacco products. These cards captivated collectors by showcasing vibrant depictions of folk dances from around the world, blending entertainment with clever marketing. Produced via chromolithography—a pioneering technique that allowed for vivid, multi-color printing on a mass scale—the artwo...
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...