Spain, from the National Flags series (N195) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 3 9/16 × 2 3/8 in. (9 × 6.1 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
63.350.216.195.23
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Spain, from the National Flags seriesN195)*, a diminutive yet striking commercial color lithograph by William S. Kimball & Company in1891. Issued as part of a popular series of collectible cards tucked into cigarette packages, this tiny print (just 3 9/16 × 2 3/8 inches) captures the bold red and yellow stripes of Spain's national flag against a clean background. Tobacco companies like Kimball, based in Rochester, New York used such ephemera to entice collectors, blending education with promotion during the Gilded Age's boom in cons...
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...