Burmese Dancer, from the Dancing Women series (N186) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Burmese Dancer* (N186), a gem from the *Dancing* series issued by William S. Kimball & Company 1889. Produced by the Rochester, New York-based cigar manufacturer, this petite commercial color lithograph (just 2 11/16 × 1 7/16 inches) served as a collectible trade card, enticing smokers with exotic imagery while promoting Kimball's tobacco products. Part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection a treasure trove of ephemera gifted the famed collector—this print captures the era's obsession with global cultures through the lens of graceful, performing women. Chromolithography, the medium's star technique, revolutionized printing by layering vibrant colors from multiple stones, creating rich, affordable reproductions that mimicked fine art. Here, it brings to life a Burmese dancer in flowing attire, her pose evoking rhythmic motion amid Western fantasies of the "Orient." Such series reflected Orientalism, blending admiration for distant traditions with commercial allure, and fueled a craze for card collecting among Victorians. Today, this ephemera highlights how everyday objects bridged art, commerce, and cultural curiosity, inviting us to ponder the dancer's story beyond the cigar box.

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...