Mexico, from the National Flags series (N195) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 3 1/2 × 2 3/8 in. (8.9 × 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
63.350.216.195.17
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming small print belongs to the National Flags series (N195), a set of commercial trade cards produced in 1891 by William S. Kimball & Company, a Rochester-based tobacco manufacturer. Issued as colorful inserts in cigarette packages, these cards encouraged collectors to assemble complete sets of world flags—an early form of mass-market ephemera that blended advertising with popular education. The Mexico card features the national emblem of an eagle perched on a cactus, rendered through the vibrant technique of commercial color lithography, which allowed intricate details and bright hu...
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...