Sailboat, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 5) issued by Kinney Bros.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 7/8 × 1 9/16 in. (7.3 × 4 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
Burdick 218, N228.211
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Sailboat* from Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company's Novelties series (N288, Type 5), issued in 1889. These tiny commercial color lithographs, measuring just 2 7/8 × 1 9/16 inches, were tucked into cigarette packages as collectible trade cards—a clever marketing ploy by tobacco firms to boost brand loyalty. Kinney Bros., a prominent New York company, produced dozens of such series, captivating collectors with whimsical scenes of leisure, including women gracefully enjoying boating adventures amid sailboats and waves. Chromolithography,...
About the Artist
Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company · 1869–2011
**Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company (1869–2011)** Founded around 1869 by Francis Sherwood Kinney in New York City, the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company quickly rose to prominence in the burgeoning American cigarette industry. Francis, a pioneering tobacco manufacturer, experimented with hand-rolled cigarettes using blends of Turkish and Virginia tobacco, scaling to mass production by employing Europ...