Tartar, from Types of Nationalities (N240) issued by Kinney Bros.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet (Folded): 2 11/16 × 1 7/16 in. (6.8 × 3.7 cm) Sheet (Unfolded): 6 7/8 × 1 7/16 in. (17.4 × 3.7 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
Burdick 218, N240.66
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Tartar, from Types of Nationalities (N240)*, a charming commercial color lithograph issued by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company in 1890. Part of a popular series of collectible trading cards distributed in cigarette packs, this tiny print (unfolded to just 6 7/8 × 1 7/16 inches) captures a stylized portrait of a Tatar man, reflecting the era's fascination with global ethnic diversity. These cards were a clever marketing ploy, encouraging smokers to collect full sets while showcasing "types" from around the world. Chromolithograph...
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...