William Muldoon, Champion Grœco Roman Wrestler, from the Champions of Games and Sports series (N184, Type 2) issued by W.S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 in. (6.8 × 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
63.350.216.184.53
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American sports culture with this petite commercial color lithograph from1887, featuring William Muldoon, the celebrated Champion Greco-Roman Wrestler. Issued by W.S. Kimball Co. as part of their *Champions of Games and Sports* series (N184, Type 2), this print—measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 inches—was likely a collectible insert tucked into cigarette packages. These ephemera cards captured the era's fascination with athletic heroes, blending promotion with popular entertainment amid the growing popularity of organized sports. Muldoon, a towering fi...
About the Artist
W.S. Kimball & Co.
William S. Kimball & Co. was a tobacco manufacturer based in Rochester, New York, whose influence extended well beyond the cigarette trade into the realm of popular visual culture. Founded in 1846 by William S. Kimball and James C. Hart, the company grew into one of the largest tobacco concerns in the United States, erecting a landmark factory along the Erie Canal on Court Street in 1880. The buil...