Mlle. Jarian, 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
Photographs|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
63.350.216.203.111
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the glittering world of 1880s theater with *Mlle. Jarian, from the Actresses seriesN203)*, a charming commercial color lithograph produced by William S. Kimball Company in 1889. This card (just 2 5/8 × 1 3/8 inches) captures the poised elegance of the actress Mlle. Jarian, likely in a photographic portrait reproduced via vibrant chromolithography—a cutting-edge printing technique that brought affordable, full-color images to the masses. Issued as promotional ephemera by the Kimball tobacco firm, these trade cards were tucked into cigarette packages, sparking a collecting craze among...
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...