Stephanie, from the Ballet Queens series (N182) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
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
63.350.216.182.50
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Stephanie, from the Ballet Queens series (N182)," issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. in 1889, captures the graceful allure of a ballet dancer in a petite commercial color lithograph. Produced by the American tobacco company, this tiny print—measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches—was likely designed as an insert for cigarette packs, part of a popular series celebrating the era's fascination with ballet stars. Such ephemera reflects the late 19th-century boom in affordable, collectible advertising art, blending commerce with cultural icons. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized printing by lay...
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...