Capstan, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 3) issued by Kinney Bros.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 1/16 × 1 1/2 in. (5.3 × 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
Burdick 218, N228.136
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American advertising with *Capstan, from the Novelties (N228, Type 3)*, a diminutive commercial color lithograph by the Kinney Brothers Company in 1889 Issued as promotional inserts in cigarette packages, these cards were part of a popular trend where tobacco firms like Kinney Bros. enticed collectors—often children and enthusiasts—with colorful, themed series. Measuring just 2 1/16 × 1 1/2 inches, this pocket-sized gem exemplifies ephemera designed for mass appeal, now preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, a treasure trove of printed Americana. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized commercial printing by layering vibrant colors through multiple stone plates, achieving rich hues impossible with earlier techniques. Kinney Bros., pioneers in such innovations, used it to showcase "novelties"—whimsical subjects likely featuring women, as tagged, perhaps in exotic or nautical motifs tied to the "Capstan" theme (evoking ship winches or the era's popular tobacco brand). This process made high-quality color imagery affordable and widespread, blending artistry with marketing savvy. Culturally, these cards bridged entertainment and commerce, fostering a collecting craze that prefigured modern trading cards like baseball inserts. They offer a snapshot of Gilded Age consumer culture, where everyday tobacco became a gateway to visual delight and social exchange. A charming relic of ingenuity!
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...