Problem, from the Magic Changing Cards series (N223) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company

Art Historical Context

This charming small card, titled *Problem*, comes from the Magic Changing Cards series (N223) produced by the Kinney Brothers Company in 1889 Issued as a promotional insert in tobacco products, it exemplifies the vibrant world of late-19th-century American advertising ephemera. Measuring just 1 ½ by 2 ¾ inches, the card was designed for easy handling and collecting, reflecting the era’s growing culture of mass-produced giveaways that encouraged brand loyalty among consumers. Created as a commercial color lithograph, the print showcases the technical advances of the time, allowing bright, detailed imagery to be produced affordably at scale. The series title hints at interactive or optical elements typical of “magic” or transformation cards, while the subject—men and carriages—captures a snapshot of everyday urban life and transportation in the Gilded Age. Such cards helped popularize collecting as a hobby across social classes. Today, this piece resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, a renowned archive of printed ephemera that preserves these once-disposable artifacts as valuable records of design, commerce, and popular culture.

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...