Two Paths, 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, N223.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Two Paths" is a captivating example from the *Magic Changing Cards* series (N223), produced by the Kinney Brothers Company in 1889 These small chromolithographed cards were promotional inserts packaged with Kinney's tobacco products, designed to entice collectors—often children—with their interactive "magic" feature. When tilted or viewed from different angles, the image transforms, revealing two contrasting scenes symbolizing life's diverging paths. The tag "Women" highlights the central female figure, likely embodying Victorian-era moral dilemmas such as virtue versus temptation, a common t...
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...