Mtesa, Emperor of Uganda, Africa, from the Savage and Semi-Barbarous Chiefs and Rulers series (N189) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.

Art Historical Context

Step into the world of 19th-centuryhemera with this tiny yet telling *Mtesa, Emperor of, Africa* (1888), a commercial color lithograph produced by William S. Kimball & Company. Measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 inches, it served as a collectible insert, likely for cigarette packs, part of the "Savage and Semi-Barous Chiefs and Rulers series (N189).olithography, the vibrant printing technique used here, allowed for mass production of colorful images at low cost, making exotic portraits accessible to everyday smokers and collectors. This portrait captures Mtesa, the ruler of Uganda, in a style reflective of Victorian-era fascination with distant lands and leaders. The series title reveals the era's Eurocentric biases, framing non-Western figures through a lens of otherness amid rising colonialism. Yet, it preserves a visual record of global figures, blending commerce with curiosity about Africa during a time of imperial expansion. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, thanks to the Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this ephemera piece highlights how everyday objects documented history. Its small scale belies its cultural weight, inviting us to reflect on representation and the stories behind the smoke.

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...