Sarah Jewett as "The Opera," from the series Fancy Dress Ball Costumes (N73) for Duke brand cigarettes
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 in. (7 x 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
63.350.204.73.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, American tobacco companies like W. Duke Sons & Co. revolutionized by inserting colorful collectible cards into cigarette packs sparking a craze among enthusiasts. This petite chromolithograph, *Sarah Jewett as " Opera"* from the Fancy Dress Ball Costumes seriesN73), captures actress Sarah Jewett in an elaborate costume evoking operatic grandeur—think flowing gowns, feathers, and dramatic flair perfect for Victorian-era fancy dress balls. in 1889 by Knapp & Company, its tiny dimensions (just 2¾ x 1½ inches) made it ideal for pocket-sized collecting. Chromolithography,...
About the Artist
W. Duke, Sons & Co.|Knapp & Company · 1870–1920
**W. Duke, Sons & Co.: Pioneers of Chromolithographic Trade Card Art** W. Duke, Sons & Co., an American tobacco manufacturer, emerged from the entrepreneurial vision of Washington Duke (1820–1905) and his sons in Durham, North Carolina. After the Civil War, Washington abandoned farming in 1874 to join his eldest son, Brodie L. Duke, in the burgeoning tobacco trade, establishing a factory that for...