Thalia, Muse of Comedy, from the Goddesses of the Greeks and Romans series (N188) 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
63.350.216.188.30
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Thalia, Muse of Comedy*, a vibrant chromolithograph from the 1889 *Goddesses of the Greeks and Romans* seriesN188), issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. tobacco company and printed by the Ketterlinus Lithography. This tiny gem, measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, captures Thalia—Greek Muse of comedy and bucolic poetry—likely adorned with her signature comic mask, evoking the joy of ancient theater amid Renaissance-inspired classicism. Part of a popular set of collectible trade cards distributed with Kimball's cigarettes, it reflects the era's fusion of mythology and marketing. Chromolithography,...
About the Artist
Ketterlinus Lithography Company|William S. Kimball & Company ( |American) · |1850 – |1950
|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania