At the Circus, from the Magic Changing Cards series (N223) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company

Art Historical Context

Step right up to the vibrant world of 19th-century American ephemera with *At the Circus*, a charming commercial color lithograph from the Magic Changing series (N223), issued by the Kinney Tobacco Company in 188. Measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, this pocket-sized print captures the whimsical allure of circus life, featuring profiles of clowns in a playful, theatrical scene. Produced as inserts in tobacco products, these cards were collectibles designed to boost brand loyalty amid fierce competition in the cigarette market. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized commercial printing by enabling vivid, multi-color images at scale—a technological marvel of the Gilded Age that democratized art for the masses. Kinney's series, cataloged as N223 in collector Jefferson R. Burdick's renowned archive (now at The Met), exemplifies how everyday objects blurred lines between advertising and amusement, enticing smokers and children alike with circus motifs evoking P.T. Barnum's spectacles. Today, this tiny gem from The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department highlights ephemera's cultural staying power: a snapshot of Victorian-era escapism, where clowns symbolized joy amid industrialization. Part of Burdick's gift, it invites us to appreciate the artistry in the ephemeral.

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...