King of Clubs, from Harlequin Cards, 2nd Series (N220) 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, N220.41
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American advertising with *King of Clubs, fromlequin Cards, 2 Series (N220)*, a diminutive commercial color lithograph by the Kinney Brothers Company in 1889 Measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, this playful card was tucked into cigarette packs as a collectible incentive, transforming everyday smoking into a treasure hunt. Part of a series evoking the whimsical Harlequin figures from commedia dell'arte—ful clowns and tricksters of European pantomime—these cards mimicked playing card suits, blending gaming iconography with theatrical flair. Crafted via chr...
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...