U.S. Despatch Boat Dolphin, from the Naval Vessels of the World series (N226) issued by Kinney Bros.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 1 1/2 × 2 3/4 in. (3.8 × 7 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, N226.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of 19th-century marvels with *U.S. Despatch Boat Dolphin*, a vibrant commercial color lithograph from Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company's *Naval Vessels of the* series (N226), issued in 1889. Measuring just 1 1/2 × 2 3/4 inches, this petite print was designed as collectible ephemera, tucked into cigarette packs to entice smokers and spark naval enthusiasm. Part of a popular trend, these cards turned everyday tobacco products into gateways for education and collecting, blending commerce with patriotic pride in America's growing naval power. The featured vessel, the U.S. Despa...
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...