Toboggan Slide, Saratoga, from the Magic Changing Cards series (N223) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company
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, N223.33
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American ephemera with *Toboggan Slide,oga*, a charming commercial color lithograph from *Magic Changing Cards* seriesN223), issued by Kinney Tobacco Company in 1889 These diminutive cards—measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches—were tucked into cigarette packs as collectible inserts, blending marketing savvy with optical illusions that "magically" transformed when tilted or viewed from different angles. Produced during the height of the tobacco trade card craze, they captured popular leisure scenes, turning everyday smokes into treasure hunts for enthusiasts....
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...