Three of Hearts, Pet of the Ballet, 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, N220.18
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Three of Hearts, Pet the Ballet*, a charming chromolithograph from Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company's *Harlequin Cards, nd Series (N220, issued in 1889. This card, measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, transforms a simple playing card into a colorful tribute to ballet's grace. Featuring a ballerina as the "Pet of the," it captures the era's fascination with ethereal performers, blending whimsy with the harlequin motif for playful allure. Produced as a promotional insert in Kinney Brothers' cigarette packs, these cards were collectibles tha...
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...