Saltarello, from National Dances (N225, Type 1) issued by Kinney Bros.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 3/4 × 1 1/2 in. (7 × 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
Burdick 218, N225.72
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Saltarello, from Dances (N225, Type 1)*, a charming commercial color lithograph produced by the Kinney Brothers Company in 1889 This petite print, measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, captures the exuberant energy of the Italian folk dance known as the saltarello—a lively jumping dance traditionally accompanied by guitars and performed by men in festive attire. Part of a popular series inserted into cigarette packs, it invited collectors to amass sets depicting dances from around the globe, blending cultural celebration with clever market...
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...