Dora, 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 *Dora, from the Queens series (N182, a charming commercial color lithograph produced in 1889 by William. Kimball & Company, a prominent American tobacco firm. This petite print (just 2¾ × 1½ inches) captures the grace of its titular ballerina, embodying the era's fascination with theatrical stars and the rising popularity of ballet as high entertainment. Issued as part of a collectible series, it served as promotional ephemera, enticing smokers with vivid vignettes of performers amid Kimball's cigarette packaging. Chromolithography, the innovative color printing technique used here, revolutionized commercial art by enabling mass production of vibrant, multi-hued images from stone plates—a far cry from earlier hand-colored methods. This allowed companies like Kimball to flood the market with affordable beauties, blending artistry with advertising during the Gilded Age's consumer boom. Today, housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, *Dora* highlights ephemera's cultural role: these "Ballet Queens" cards not only immortalized women in the spotlight but also fueled a collecting craze, preserving snapshots of Victorian glamour for posterity. A delightful glimpse into how everyday commerce danced with elegance!

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...