Pet Billy Goat, from the Household Pets series (N194) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 3/4 × 2 1/2 in. (9.5 × 6.3 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
63.350.216.194.8
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming 1891 color lithograph, * Billy Goat*, belongs to the Household Pets series (N194) produced by Wm. S. & Company, a prominent American tobacco firm. Issued as small collectible card—measuring just 3¾ 2½ inches—it was likely inserted into packages of cigarettes or tobacco to promote brand loyalty. The image depicts a woman with a goat, reflecting the era’s fascination with domestic animals as beloved household companions. Printed by Julius Bien & Co. using commercial lithography, the card exemplifies the vibrant, affordable color printing techniques that made such ephemera widely a...
About the Artist
William S. Kimball & Company|Julius Bien & Co.|American Tobacco 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...