Portrait, from the Women's Portraits series (N198) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 1/4 × 2 13/16 in. (8.2 × 7.2 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
63.350.216.198.11
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming *Portrait* from the Women's Portraits series (198), issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. in 1889, the vibrant world of late 19th commercial ephemera. Produced as a small color lithograph—measuring just 3¼ × 2⅞ inches—these cards were likely tucked into cigarette packages by the Rochester, New York-based tobacco firm, serving as collectible inserts to entice smokers and spark trading among enthusiasts. Credited to William S. Kimball & Company with lithography by William Wellstood, it captures the era's fascination with elegant female portraits, reflecting Victorian ideals of beauty and ...
About the Artist
William S. Kimball & Company|William Wellstood
**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...