Violin, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 3) issued by Kinney Bros.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 3/4 in. × 1 in. (7 × 2.5 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
Burdick 218, N228.146
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American advertising with *Violin, from theelties series (N, Type 3)*, issued by the Kinney Tobacco Company in 188. This petite commercial color lithograph, just 2 3/4 × 1 inches, was one of countless trading cards tucked into cigarette packs to entice collectors and promote the brand. Part of the "Novelt" series, it captures a whimsical scene featuring a man with a violin amid flowers and leaves, blending everyday music with decorative flourishes typical of the era's playful ephemera. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized mass printing...
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...