Matelot, from National Dances (N225, Type 2) 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, N225.113
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Matelot, from Dances (N225, Type 2)*, a charming commercial color lithograph produced by the Kinney Brothers Company in 1889 This petite card, measuring just 2 3/4 × 1 1/2 inches, captures the lively spirit of the French "matelot" dance—a traditional sailors' jig often performed with energetic steps and colorful costumes. Likely depicting a graceful female dancer mid-performance, it belongs to a popular series celebrating global folk dances, blending cultural homage with clever marketing. Chromolithography, the innovative printing ...
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...