Mtesa, Emperor of Uganda, Africa, from the Savage and Semi-Barbarous Chiefs and Rulers series (N189) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 in. (6.8 × 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
63.350.216.189.34
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of 19th-centuryhemera with this tiny yet telling *Mtesa, Emperor of, Africa* (1888), a commercial color lithograph produced by William S. Kimball & Company. Measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 inches, it served as a collectible insert, likely for cigarette packs, part of the "Savage and Semi-Barous Chiefs and Rulers series (N189).olithography, the vibrant printing technique used here, allowed for mass production of colorful images at low cost, making exotic portraits accessible to everyday smokers and collectors. This portrait captures Mtesa, the ruler of Uganda, in a style ref...
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...