Livorno, from the Beautiful Bathers series (N192) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.

Art Historical Context

**Livorno, from the Beautifulathers series (N192)** Issued by Wm. S. & Co. in 1889, this petite commercial color lithograph captures allure of leisurely seaside bathing, featuring graceful profiles of women swimming. Produced by renowned lithographer Julius Bien for the American tobacco company, it belongs to a popular series of collectible trade cards (N192 in the Jefferson R. Burdick classification) often tucked into cigarette packages as promotional inserts. At just 3 3/4 × 2 1/2 inches, its diminutive scale belies its role in everyday advertising ephemera from the Gilded Age. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized mass printing in the late 19th century, enabling vivid, multi-layered colors that mimicked paintings affordably. Bien's expertise brought elegance to these commercial pieces, blending fine art techniques with marketing savvy. The image evokes Livorno, Italy's vibrant port city, reflecting growing Western fascination with coastal leisure and emerging beach culture amid industrialization. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department from the Burdick Collection, this card highlights how everyday objects immortalized Victorian ideals of beauty and recreation. A charming glimpse into 1880s consumer culture, it reminds us how art permeated pockets and parlors alike. (198 words)

About the Artist

Julius Bien|William S. Kimball & Company (American, Swiss|American) · 1814 |1826 –1896 |1909

American, born Switzerland, 1814/15–1896|American (born Germany), Naumberg 1826–1909 United States