Tarantella, 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, N225.86
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American ephemera with *Tarantella, from Dances (N225, Type 1)*, a charming commercial color lithograph produced by the Kinney Brothers Company in 1889 This petite card, measuring just 2 3/4 × 1 1/2 inches, was one of many inserts tucked into cigarette packs to entice collectors and boost sales. Part of the "National Dances" series, it the exuberant spirit of the tarantella, a lively Italian folk dance known for its rapid spins and rhythmic tambourine beats, evoking southern Italy's passionate traditions. Crafted via chromolithography—a revolutionar...
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...