Pax, Goddess of Peace, from the Goddesses of the Greeks and Romans series (N188) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.

Art Historical Context

In the late 19th century, companies like Wm. S Kimball & Co. popularized collectible trade cards to promote their products, turning everyday advertising into miniature works of art. This charming commercial color lithograph, *Pax, Goddess of*, from the 1889 "Goddesses of the Greeks and Romans series (N188), that trend. Produced by the skilled Ketterlinus Lithography, the tiny card (just 2¾ × 1½ inches) depicts Pax, the goddess of peace—equivalent to the Greek Eirene—often symbolized with an olive branch or cornucopia, evoking ideals of harmony in a rapidly industrializing era. Printed using vibrant chromolithography, a technique that layered colors through multiple lithographic stones for rich, affordable reproduction, this ephemera captures classical mythology in a accessible format. Its small scale made it perfect for albums or scrapbooks, fostering a collecting craze among Victorians. Today, it resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, a treasure trove of over 30,000 cards gifted in 1948, highlighting how commercial prints preserved cultural motifs for mass audiences. Though modest in size, *Pax* reflects America's fascination with antiquity amid Gilded Age prosperity, blending education, mythology, and marketing into a delightful artifact of everyday history.

About the Artist

Ketterlinus Lithography Company|William S. Kimball & Company ( |American) · |1850 – |1950

|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania