Maharatta, Chief of Gwalior, India, from the Savage and Semi-Barbarous Chiefs and Rulers series (N189) 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
63.350.216.189.31
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of 19th-centuryhemera with this vibrant *Maharatta, Chief ofwalior, India*, commercial color lithograph from 1888. Produced by the American tobacco firm William S. Kimball & Company it belongs to their "Savage and Semi-Barbarous Chiefs andulers" series (N), a set of collectible portrait cards distributed as premiums with cigarettes. At just 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 inches, these tiny treasures were designed for enthusiasts to trade and display, blending commerce with armchair exploration of distant lands. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized mass printing by layering ...
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...