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

Art Historical Context

Step into the glittering world of 19th-century ballet with *Donna, from the Ballet Queens series (N182)*, a charming commercial color lithograph produced William S. Kimball & in 1889. This petite print, measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, captures the grace of a ballerina poised in elegant attire, embodying the era's fascination with dance as high art and popular spectacle. Issued as part of a tobacco company's promotional series, it exemplifies chromolithography—a revolutionary technique that allowed for vivid, multi-color reproductions at scale, making luxury imagery accessible to everyday consumers. These ephemera prints were tucked into cigarette packages, transforming mundane products into collectibles that celebrated feminine beauty and the rising star of ballet culture. In the Gilded Age, when stars like Anna Pavlova were captivating audiences, such cards fueled a craze for trading and scrapbooking, blending commerce with cultural allure. Donna, likely a stylized queen of the ballet, reflects the romanticized ideal of the dancer as muse. Today, preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection—a treasure trove of American ephemera—this delicate work highlights how advertising democratized art, bridging fine printmaking with everyday life. A tiny window into Victorian leisure!

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...