A Happy New Year, from the New Years 1890 series (N227) 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, N227.44
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of's Drawings and Prints department, where showcase delightful ephemera likeA Happy New Year* from New Years 1890 series (N227). Issued by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco in 1889–90, this petite commercial color lithograph—asuring just 1 1/2 × 2 3/ inches—was likely a insert tucked into cigarette packs. Part of a festive series, it captures the spirit with vibrant depictions of human figures, horses, carriages, and food, evoking the joy of New Year's in late Victorian America. olithography, the medium, was a breakthrough in 19th-century, enabling mass production of colorful, detailed at low cost. Kin Bros., makers of popularSweet Caporal" cigarettes used these cards to build loyalty amid fierce tobacco industry. Such ephemera blurred art and advertising, turning everyday tobacco into collectibles that cultural obsessions with holidays, travel, and abundance. A gem from The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this tiny print highlights how commercial art democratized imagery, preserving snapshots of Gilded Age festivity for modern eyes. Next time you unwrap a holiday card, think of its lively ancestors!
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...