S. Muller, Champion Swiss Wrestler, from the Champions of Games and Sports series (N184, Type 2) issued by W.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
63.350.216.184.70
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *S. Muller, Champion Swiss Wrestler*, a colorful gem from the *Champions of Games and Sports* series (N184, Type 2), issued by W.S. Kimball & Co. in 1887. This petite commercial color lithograph—measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 inches—captures the muscular prowess of Swiss wrestling champion S. Muller in dynamic pose, embodying the era's fascination with athletic heroes and physical strength. Produced via chromolithography, a revolutionary printing technique that allowed for vivid, mass-produced color images, this card was likely dist...
About the Artist
W.S. Kimball & Co.
William S. Kimball & Co. was a tobacco manufacturer based in Rochester, New York, whose influence extended well beyond the cigarette trade into the realm of popular visual culture. Founded in 1846 by William S. Kimball and James C. Hart, the company grew into one of the largest tobacco concerns in the United States, erecting a landmark factory along the Erie Canal on Court Street in 1880. The buil...