Livorno, from the Fancy Bathers series (N187) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 in. (6.9 × 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
63.350.216.187.50
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Livorno, from the Fancy Bathers series (N)** Issued by William S. Kimball & Company in 1889, this commercial color lithograph is delightful example of late 19th-century advertisinghemera. Produced as part of the "Fancy Bathers series (cataloged as N187), it likely served as a collectible insert in cigarette packages, a popular marketing tactic by tobacco firms to entice smokers and build brand loyalty. Measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 inches, its tiny scale belies its vibrant appeal, capturing elegant profiles of women—perhaps evoking leisurely seaside scenes in the Italian port city of Liv...
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...