Japanese Dancer, from the Dancing Women series (N186) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 11/16 × 1 7/16 in. (6.9 × 3.7 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
63.350.216.186.43
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Japanese Dancer* (N186), a gem from the *Dancing Women* series issued by Wm.. Kimball & Co. in 1889. This petite commercial color lithograph, just 2 11/16 × 1 7/16 inches, captures a graceful figure mid-performance, embodying the exotic allure of Japanese dance. Produced by the American tobacco company, it was likely distributed as a collectible insert in cigarette packages, enticing smokers with its delicate beauty. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a revolutionary printing technique of the era, allowing vivid, multi-layered...
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...