Corinne, from the Ballet Queens series (N182) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.

Art Historical Context

Step into the dazzling world of 19th-century popular culture with *Corinne, from the Queens series (N182, a vibrant commercial color lithograph produced Wm. S. Kimball Co. in 1889. This petite card, measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, captures the grace of its titular ballerina, likely a celebrated performer of the era, poised in elegant attire amid the Ballet Queens series. Issued as promotional ephemera by the American tobacco company, it exemplifies the era's trade cards tucked into cigarette packs to entice collectors and boost sales. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a revolutionary printing technique using multiple lithographic stones to layer vivid colors, making high-quality images affordable for mass distribution. This allowed Kimball to glorify ballet stars, reflecting the Gilded Age's infatuation with dance divas like those from Europe's grand opera houses. Part of The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, it highlights how everyday commerce intersected with high art, turning performers into icons. Today, this tiny treasure reveals the cultural stardom of women dancers, blending advertising savvy with artistic allure in an object that once fluttered from a smoker's pocket.

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...