Lachesis, One of the Three Destinies, Life, from the Goddesses of the Greeks and Romans series (N188) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 3/4 × 1 1/2 in. (7 × 3.8 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick
Accession Number
63.350.216.188.50
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate color lithograph from 1889 depicts Lachesis, one of the three Fates of Greek and Roman mythology, who measures the thread of life. as part of the “Goddesses of the Greeks and Romans” series (N188) by Wm. S. Kimball & Company, the card belongs to a popular set of small collectibles distributed with cigarette packages. Measuring just 2¾ by 1½ inches, it exemplifies the era’s commercial ephemera—beautifully printed images meant to be collected, traded, and enjoyed by ordinary consumers. Printed by the Ketterlinus Lithography Company, the work demonstrates the vibrant possibilities of commercial color lithography at the close of the nineteenth century. Tobacco companies frequently turned to classical subjects to lend an air of refinement to their products, bringing ancient myths into everyday American life through affordable, portable art. Today, this piece forms part of the Metropolitan Museum’s Burdick Collection, preserving a charming fragment of how 19th-century audiences encountered the ancient world.
About the Artist
Ketterlinus Lithography Company|William S. Kimball & Company ( |American) · |1850 – |1950
|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania