United States, from the National Flags series (N195) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 1/4 × 2 9/16 in. (10.8 × 6.5 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
63.350.216.195.30
Tags
Art Historical Context
This small but vibrant print belongs to the National Flags series (N195), issued in 1891 by Wm. S. Kimball & Company, a prominent American tobacco firm. Measuring just over four inches tall, the card was likely included in packages of cigarettes as a promotional giveaway, encouraging collectors to assemble complete sets of national emblems from around the world. The United States flag is rendered in crisp commercial color lithography, a mass-production technique that made bright, affordable imagery widely accessible during the late nineteenth century. As ephemera, the work offers a window int...
About the Artist
William S. Kimball & Company
**William S. Kimball & Company**, a pioneering American tobacco manufacturer, was established in 1846 in Rochester, New York, by William S. Kimball and James C. Hart. The firm quickly grew into one of the city's largest employers, particularly of women, producing popular brands like Peerless chewing tobacco, Rigatta and Fireside smoking tobacco, and Vanity Fair cigarettes. Under Kimball's leadersh...