Jindee Shah, Kamit Peer Baba, Afghanistan, from the Savage and Semi-Barbarous Chiefs and Rulers series (N189) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.

Art Historical Context

In the late 19th century, tobacco companies like Wm.. Kimball & Co. colorful trading cards to promote their cigarettes, enticing collectors with exotic imagery. This petite chromolithograph, *Jindee Shah, Kamit Peer Baba, Afghanistan from the 1888 "Savage and Semi-Barous Chiefs and Rulers (N189)," captures a portrait of an Afghan leader—likely a local ruler or figure, given the honorific "Peer Baba," evoking a Sufi saint. Measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 inches, it was designed as an insert in cigarette packs, transforming everyday smoking into a gateway for armchair exploration of distant lands. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized commercial printing by layering vibrant colors through multiple stone plates, enabling mass production of eye-catching ephemera at low cost. Part of a broader Orientalist trend during the height of European and American imperialism, the series reflected Western fascination—and stereotypes—with non-Western "chiefs," packaging cultural "others" for popular consumption. Today, preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, it offers a window into Victorian-era collecting mania and the commodification of global portraits. Though diminutive, this card's historical significance lies in its role as affordable exotica, sparking curiosity about Afghanistan amid the Great Game rivalries between Britain and Russia. A testament to print ephemera's power, it blends portraiture with propaganda, inviting us to reflect on how images shaped perceptions of the world.

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...