Morea, from the Dancing Girls of the World series (N185) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century ephemera with *Morea, from the Dancing Girls of the World series (N185)*, a petite commercial color lithograph produced by William S. Kimball & Company in 1889. Measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 inches, this delicate print captures the graceful figure of Morea, one of a series celebrating dancers from diverse global cultures. Issued as collectible inserts in cigarette packages, these cards blended advertising savvy with exotic allure, enticing smokers to amass full sets. Chromolithography, the era's breakthrough in affordable color printing, allowed Kimball & Co.—a prominent tobacco firm—to mass-produce these vivid images with remarkable detail and hue. The technique layered multiple lithographic stones for rich tones, transforming everyday promotions into miniature artworks that reflected the Gilded Age's fascination with international dance and feminine beauty. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this piece highlights the cultural role of trade cards in popularizing "world cultures" through an Orientalist lens. A charming snapshot of Victorian collecting mania, it invites us to ponder how commerce and curiosity intertwined to shape our visual heritage.

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...