Muzette, from the Ballet Queens series (N182) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.

Art Historical Context

Step into the glittering world of 19th-century ballet with *Muzette, from Ballet Queens series (N)*, a charming commercial color lithograph issued Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889. Produced a promotional trade card by the American tobacco company, this petite print (just 2 3/4 × 1 1/2 inches) the elegance of a ballerina named Muzette, embodying the era's fascination with dance stars. Part of a popular series (cataloged as N182 in the American Tobacco Card Catalog), these cards were tucked into cigarette packages to entice collectors, reflecting the Gilded Age boom in consumer marketing. Chromolithography, the innovative printing technique used here, revolutionized mass-produced color imagery. Multiple lithographic stones, each inked in a different hue, were layered to create Muzette's vibrant costume and graceful pose—affordable artistry that brought high culture to everyday pockets. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this ephemera highlights how commercial prints democratized beauty and performance. Culturally, the *Ballet Queens* series celebrated women dancers as icons of grace and allure, mirroring the rising popularity of ballet in America amid European influences. A delightful snapshot of Victorian leisure, it invites us to ponder how a tiny card bridged advertising and art.

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...