Mexico, from the National Flags series (N195) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.

Art Historical Context

This charming small print belongs to the National Flags series (N195), a set of commercial trade cards produced in 1891 by William S. Kimball & Company, a Rochester-based tobacco manufacturer. Issued as colorful inserts in cigarette packages, these cards encouraged collectors to assemble complete sets of world flags—an early form of mass-market ephemera that blended advertising with popular education. The Mexico card features the national emblem of an eagle perched on a cactus, rendered through the vibrant technique of commercial color lithography, which allowed intricate details and bright hues to be reproduced affordably for a wide audience. Measuring just 3½ by 2⅜ inches, the trimmed sheet exemplifies the compact, portable format designed for everyday collecting. As part of the Jefferson R. Burdick Collection at the Metropolitan Museum, it preserves a snapshot of late-nineteenth-century visual culture, when global imagery reached American consumers through everyday products. The card’s crisp registration and decorative borders highlight lithography’s role in democratizing national symbols, transforming flags into both patriotic keepsakes and marketing tools. Today, such prints offer insight into how commerce and national identity intersected during an era of expanding international awareness.

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...