Della Ferrell, Champion Girl Rider, from the Champions of Games and Sports series (N184, Type 1) issued by W.S. Kimball & Co.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th American ephemera with *Della Ferrell, Girl Rider*, a colorful gem from W.S. Kimball & Co.'s *Champions of Games and* series (N184, Type 1), produced in 1887. This petite commercial color lithograph, measuring just 2 /16 × 1 1/2 inches, captures the spirited equestrian star Della Ferrell in action, likely mid-ride, embodying the era's fascination with athletic prowess. Issued by the Kimball tobacco company, these trade cards were clever marketing tools—collectors traded them like modern trading cards, tucked into cigarette packs to lure customers. Chromolithography, the printing technique here, revolutionized mass production by layering vibrant colors through multiple lithographic stones, creating eye-catching images affordable for everyday folk. Della Ferrell's portrayal highlights a pivotal moment: women breaking into competitive sports, challenging Victorian norms around gender and physicality. As a "champion girl rider," she represents emerging female athleticism in horse racing and riding circuits. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this card is part of The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, a treasure trove of over 30,000 American prints gifted in 1948. It reminds us how everyday objects preserved cultural snapshots, celebrating unsung heroines like Ferrell amid the Gilded Age's sporting boom.

About the Artist

W.S. Kimball & Co.

William S. Kimball & Co. was a tobacco manufacturer based in Rochester, New York, whose influence extended well beyond the cigarette trade into the realm of popular visual culture. Founded in 1846 by William S. Kimball and James C. Hart, the company grew into one of the largest tobacco concerns in the United States, erecting a landmark factory along the Erie Canal on Court Street in 1880. The buil...