Mandolin, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 3) issued by Kinney Bros.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 3/4 in. × 1 in. (7 × 2.6 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, N228.134
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American advertising with *Mandolin from the Novelties seriesN228, Type 3)*, a diminutive gem produced by the Kinney Brothers Company in 1889. This commercial color lithograph, measuring just 2 3/4 × 1 inches, was likely one of many collectible inserts tucked into cigarette packs. Tobacco firms like Kinney Bros. pioneered these "trade cards" to boost brand loyalty, turning everyday smokes into a gateway for hobbyists collecting series on themes from sports to novelties—here, a charming depiction of a mandolin, symbolizing musical leisure in Victorian...
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...