Joseph Morsler, Champion Pool Player, 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 *Joseph Morsler, Champion Player*, a gem from the *Champions Games and Sports* seriesN184, Type 2), issued by W.S. Kimball & Co. in 1887. This petite commercial color lithograph, measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 inches, captures the poised intensity of Morsler, a celebrated billiards athlete, mid-action at the table. Produced as collectible ephemera, reflects the era's booming fascination with leisure sports and emerging athletic heroes, distributed likely as promotional inserts to entice collectors. The medium—a vivid color lithograph—highlights the technological advances of the time, allowing mass production of eye-catching, affordable images that brought celebrity to everyday pastimes like billiards. W.S. Kimball & Co., known for commercial printing, mastered this technique to blend artistry with advertising, transforming tiny cards into cherished keepsakes. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, thanks to the Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, it exemplifies how ephemera preserved snapshots of Gilded Age masculinity and competition. Today, this print offers a window into how sports icons like Morsler were idolized, bridging art, commerce, and culture in an age before modern media stardom. A delightful reminder that even pocket-sized art can cue the crack of the cue ball!

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...