Narragansett, Rhode Island, from the Surf Beauties series (N232), issued by Kinney Bros.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Narragansett, Rhode*, a charming chromolithograph from the Surfies series (N232), issued by Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company in 1889. This petite print, measuring just 1 1/2 × 2 3/4 inches, captures a poised woman against a seaside backdrop, embodying the era's idealized vision of leisure and beauty. Produced as promotional ephemera—likely a trade or cigarette card—it's a testament to how tobacco companies enticed collectors with colorful series featuring glamorous "surf beauties" at American beaches. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized commercial printing by allowing vivid, multi-color images to be mass-produced affordably, making art accessible beyond elite galleries. Kinney Bros. excelled in this technique, creating sets that turned everyday purchases into treasures for albums. The Surf Beauties series, named after coastal spots like Narragansett, reflected the Gilded Age's growing obsession with seaside vacations and emerging beach culture. Today, this piece resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, a gift celebrating one man's passion for ephemera. It offers a window into Victorian gender ideals, where women were depicted as elegant muses of summer fun, blending commerce, collecting, and cultural whimsy. (198 words)

About the Artist

Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company · 1869–2011

**Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company (1869–2011)** Founded around 1869 by Francis Sherwood Kinney in New York City, the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company quickly rose to prominence in the burgeoning American cigarette industry. Francis, a pioneering tobacco manufacturer, experimented with hand-rolled cigarettes using blends of Turkish and Virginia tobacco, scaling to mass production by employing Europ...