H.M.S. Colossus, Royal Navy, from the Naval Vessels of the World series (N226) issued by Kinney Bros.

Art Historical Context

In 1889, the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company issued *Naval Vessels of the* series (N226), a set of colorful trading cards tucked into cigarette packs to entice collectors and boost sales. This petite chromolithograph depicts H.M.S. *Colossus*, a battleship of the British Royal Navy, showcasing the era's naval might amid global imperial rivalries and arms races. At just 1 1/2 × 2 3/4 inches, these ephemera cards captured the public's fascination with maritime power, turning everyday tobacco purchases into a gateway for education and hobby. The commercial color lithograph technique—chromolithography—allowed for vibrant, mass-produced prints that mimicked fine art at low cost, revolutionizing advertising and popular imagery in the late 19th century. Kinney's series highlighted international fleets, reflecting America's growing interest in sea power as it eyed its own naval expansion. Today, this card from The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art preserves a slice of Gilded Age consumer culture, where ships symbolized national pride and technological prowess. (198 words)

About the Artist

Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company · 1869–2011

**Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company (1869–2011)** Founded around 1869 by Francis Sherwood Kinney in New York City, the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company quickly rose to prominence in the burgeoning American cigarette industry. Francis, a pioneering tobacco manufacturer, experimented with hand-rolled cigarettes using blends of Turkish and Virginia tobacco, scaling to mass production by employing Europ...