Card 37, Catocala Nupta, from the Butterflies series (N183) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.

Art Historical Context

Step into the whimsical world 19th-century advertising with *Card 37, Catocala Nupta* from the Butterflies seriesN183), issued by. S. Kimball &. in 1888. petite commercial color lithograph, just 2 11/ × 1 1/2 inches, captures the delicate allure of the Catocala nupta moth—known for its striking underwing patterns—alongside motifs of women and butterflies. Produced by lithographer Julius Bien for the tobacco company, it exemplifies the era's trade cards, collectible inserts from cigarette packs designed to entice smokers with exquisite, nature-inspired imagery. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized mass printing in the late 1800s, allowing vibrant, multi-layered colors to be applied with precision on a commercial scale. Bien's expertise brought scientific accuracy to these ephemera, blending entomological detail with artistic elegance to appeal to Victorian tastes for beauty in the everyday. Part of the Prints and Drawings department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, this card hails from The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, a treasure trove of American ephemera gifted in 1962. These cards weren't just promotions; they fueled a collecting craze, turning disposable ads into cultural artifacts that highlight Gilded Age commerce, women's imagery in design, and humanity's fascination with butterflies as symbols of transformation. A tiny portal to history's vibrant underbelly!

About the Artist

Julius Bien|William S. Kimball & Company (American, Swiss|American) · 1814 |1826 –1896 |1909

American, born Switzerland, 1814/15–1896|American (born Germany), Naumberg 1826–1909 United States