Edward Hanlan, Champion Sculler of America, from the Champions of Games and Sports series (N184, Type 2) issued by W.S. Kimball & Co.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American sports culture with this petite commercial color lithograph, *Edward Hanlan, Championuller of America*, from the *Champions of Games and* series (N184, Type 2). Issued 1887 by W.S. Kimball & Co., prominent tobacco company, it honors Edward Hanlan, theefeated professional sculling champion who dominated rowing from the 1870s to 1880s. At just 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 inches, this card captures Hanlan in dynamic pose, likely mid-race, evoking the thrill of competitive rowing on rivers and bays. Produced via chromolithography—a revolutionary color printing technique that allowed mass production of vivid, affordable images—this ephemera exemplifies how advertising merged with fandom. Tobacco firms like Kimball distributed these collectible cards in cigarette packs to boost sales, turning athletes into household names and fueling the era's growing obsession with organized sports. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this piece highlights ephemera's role in preserving everyday history. It reflects a time when rowing champions were national icons, blending athletic heroism with commercial savvy in Gilded Age America. A tiny window into big dreams!

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...