Miss Sala, from the Actresses series (N203) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 5/8 × 1 3/8 in. (6.6 × 3.5 cm)
Classification
Ephemera|Photographs
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
63.350.216.203.430
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of late 19-century advertising with *Miss Sala, from theresses series (N203, a charming commercial color lithograph produced by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. in 1889. This petite card, measuring just 2 5/8 × 1 3/8 inches, captures the poised elegance of the actress Miss Sala, one of many celebrated performers immortalized in this popular series. Issued as collectible inserts in cigarette packages, these ephemera cards were a clever marketing tool by the tobacco company, blending portraiture with promotion during the Gilded Age. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolution...
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...