Roller Skating, from the Games and Sports series (N165) for Old Judge Cigarettes
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
sheet: 1 1/2 x 2 3/4 in. (3.8 x 7 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
63.350.214.165.41
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American pastimes with *Roller Skating*, a charming chromolithograph from Goodwin & Company's *Games and Sports* series (N165) for Old Cigarettes, produced in 1889. This petite card, measuring just 1 1/2 x 2 3/4 inches, captures the thrill of roller skating—a booming recreational craze in the Gilded Age, when rinks sprang up in cities and parks, drawing men and women alike as athletes and socialites. Printed as a promotional insert in cigarette packs, the card exemplifies commercial color lithography, a revolutionary technique that allowed mass prod...
About the Artist
Goodwin & Company · 1850–1950
**Goodwin & Company (ca. 1850–1950)** Goodwin & Company, originally established as E. Goodwin and Brother before the American Civil War, emerged as a prominent New York City-based tobacco manufacturer in the mid-19th century. Operating from the bustling heart of Manhattan, the firm built its reputation on popular cigarette brands such as Gypsy Queen and, most notably, Old Judge, which became syno...