Ten of Spades, Donkey Ride, from Harlequin Cards, 2nd Series (N220) 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, N220.12
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the whimsical world of 19th-century advertising with *Ten of Spades,key Ride* from the *Harlequin, 2nd Series (N220)*, issued the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company in 9. This petite commercial color lithograph, measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, transforms a standard playing card a lively scene featuring a donkey ride—likely evoking the playful antics of harlequins and circus performers. Produced as promotional inserts for tobacco products, these cards were collectibles that blended gaming iconography with entertainment themes, captivating smokers and children alike. Chromolithography, th...
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...