Whisk broom, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 3) issued by Kinney Bros.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet (Round): 1 9/16 × 1 9/16 in. (4 × 4 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, N228.94
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th American advertising with *Whisk Broom* from Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company's Novelties series (228, Type 3), issued in 1889 This petite chromolithograph, measuring just 1 9/16 inches in diameter, was tucked into cigarette packages as a collectible insert, enticing smokers—especially men—with whimsical depictions of everyday novelties. Produced by the innovative Kinney Bros., a leading tobacco firm, it exemplifies the era's booming trade card culture, where colorful ephemera turned mundane products into coveted treasures. Crafted via commercial color litho...
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...