Highland Fling, from National Dances (N225, Type 2) issued by Kinney Bros.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Highland Fling*, charming chromolithograph from the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company's *National Dances* seriesN225, Type 2), issued in 1889. This petite print, measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, captures a graceful female dancer mid-leap in the energetic Scottish Highland Fling, her tartan skirt swirling dynamically. Part of a popular set of collectible cards inserted into cigarette packs, it reflects the era's marketing ingenuity, where tobacco firms like Kinney Bros. lured smokers—and young collectors—with colorful depictions of global folk traditions. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized commercial printing by allowing vivid, multi-color images to be mass-produced affordably, blending artistry with industry. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection of ephemera, this piece highlights how everyday objects became cultural artifacts, preserving dances like the Highland Fling—a lively jig rooted in Scottish heritage—amid America's Gilded Age fascination with international customs. Though ephemeral by design, *Highland Fling* endures as a window into Victorian leisure, gender portrayals in performance art, and the democratizing power of print culture, inviting us to appreciate the artistry in the pocket-sized.

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...