Atlantic City, from the Fancy Bathers series (N187) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of late 19th-century American advertising with *Atlantic City, from the Bathers series (N)*, a charming commercial color lithograph produced by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. in1889. This petite print, measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 inches, captures the leisurely allure of Atlantic City, New Jersey's famed seaside resort. Issued as part of a popular cigarette card series, it elegant women in bathing attire accompanied by playful dogs, evoking the era's fascination with beach culture and genteel recreation. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a revolutionary technique that allowed for vivid, multi-colored reproductions at low cost, making such ephemera accessible to the masses. Kimball, a prominent tobacco manufacturer, used these cards as promotional inserts in their products, blending marketing savvy with artistic appeal. The "Fancy Bathers" series reflects Gilded Age ideals of leisure, fashion, and femininity, where women were often idealized in idyllic seaside scenes. Preserved in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection—a treasure trove of American print ephemera gifted in 1947—this tiny artwork offers a window into Victorian-era consumer culture and the democratization of color printing. It's a delightful reminder of how everyday objects became collectibles, bridging art, commerce, and nostalgia.

About the Artist

William S. Kimball & Company · 1850–1950

**William S. Kimball & Company**, a pioneering American tobacco manufacturer, was established in 1846 in Rochester, New York, by William S. Kimball and James C. Hart. The firm quickly grew into one of the city's largest employers, particularly of women, producing popular brands like Peerless chewing tobacco, Rigatta and Fireside smoking tobacco, and Vanity Fair cigarettes. Under Kimball's leadersh...