Painting easel, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 4) issued by Kinney Bros.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American advertising with *Painting Easel* from Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company's Novelties seriesN228, Type 4), a diminutive 1889 commercial color lithograph measuring just over 2 by 1.5 inches. Produced as collectible ephemera—likely inserted into cigarette packs—this charming print captures the era's fascination with novelty cards, blending everyday scenes with colorful allure to entice consumers and budding collectors. Chromolithography, the innovative color printing technique used here, allowed for vivid, mass-produced imagery at low cost, revolutionizing graphic design and popular culture. Kinney Bros., a prominent tobacco firm, issued these cards in series featuring women in graceful, aspirational poses—here, evoking the romantic ideal of the female artist at her easel. Such ephemera reflected Victorian-era gender roles while fueling a collecting craze among all ages. Today, this piece from The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection highlights the intersection of commerce and art, preserving a slice of Gilded Age whimsy in the Prints and Drawings department. A tiny treasure revealing how everyday objects became cultural icons.

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...