Kherson, from the Dancing Girls of the World series (N185) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 in. (6.8 × 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
63.350.216.185.30
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Kherson*, a charming commercial color lithograph from theDancing Girls of the* series (N185), issued by Wm. S Kimball & Co. in1889. This tiny print, measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 inches, depicts a dancer from Kherson—likely evoking the exotic allure of Europe during the Russian Empire era. Produced as a collectible premium for Kimball's tobacco products, it captures the era's fascination with global cultures through graceful female figures in motion. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized commercial printing by enablin...
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...