Mama's Pet, from the Household Pets series (N194) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 3/4 × 2 1/2 in. (9.5 × 6.3 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
63.350.216.194.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming 1891 color lithograph titled *’s Pet* belongs to the “Household Pets” series (N194), one of many promotional sets issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co., a leading American tobacco manufacturer. Such small cards were tucked into cigarette packages to encourage brand loyalty and collecting, turning everyday purchases into miniature galleries that reached homes across the country. Produced by the noted lithographic firm Julius Bien & Co., the print exemplifies the commercial color lithography that made bright, affordable images widely available in the late nineteenth century. Measuring ju...
About the Artist
William S. Kimball & Company|Julius Bien & Co.|American Tobacco 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...