Portrait of woman, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 2) issued by Kinney Bros.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American advertising with this charming *Portrait of Woman* from Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company's Novelties series (N228, Type 2), in 1889. by the New York-based tobacco firm, this petite, round print—measuring just 1 9/16 inches across—was likely tucked into cigarette packages or affixed to tobacco products as a collectible incentive. During the Gilded Age, companies like Kinney Bros. fueled a craze for trading cards, blending portraiture with promotion to captivate smokers and enthusiasts alike. Crafted as a commercial color lithograph, the piece showcases chromolithography's mastery: a technique that layered vibrant inks through multiple stones for rich, affordable color reproduction. Though ephemeral by design, its delicate rendering of a woman's portrait reflects the era's fascination with feminine beauty in popular culture, evoking Victorian ideals while serving mass-market appeal. Today, this tiny gem resides in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, part of the renowned Jefferson R. Burdick Collection. It reminds us how everyday ephemera—once discarded—preserves slices of social history, transforming tobacco trades into treasured art.

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...