Rowing, from the Pretty Athletes series (N196) 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
63.350.216.196.18
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American ephemera with *Rowing*, a charming commercial color lithograph from the *Pretty* series (N196), issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889 and printed by Julius Bien &. This petite card, measuring just 3 /4 × 2 1/2 inches, captures women rowers in dynamic action, blending athletic prowess with idealized feminine grace. Produced as a promotional insert for tobacco products, it reflects the era's clever marketing tactics, where cigarette packs doubled as collectible albums of sports stars—real and imagined. Chromolithography, the medium's hallmark, ...
About the Artist
William S. Kimball & Company|Julius Bien & Co.
**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...