Shekel of Augustus, 27 B.C.-14 A.D., from the Ancient Coins series (N180) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 1 1/2 × 2 5/8 in. (3.8 × 6.7 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
63.350.216.180.24
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Shekel of Augustus, 27 B.C.-14 A.D.*, a charming commercial color lithograph from the Ancient Coins series (N180), produced by William S. Kimball & Company 1888. This print (just 1 1/2 × 2 5/8 inches) captures the profile of Emperor Augustus, Rome's first emperor, on an ancient shekel—a coin that symbolized imperial power and economic might during his reign from 27 B.C. to 14 A.D. Kimball, a Rochester-based tobacco firm, issued these as collectible inserts or trade cards with their cigarettes, blending classical antiquity with Gilde...
About the Artist
William S. Kimball & Company
**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...