Pulchinella Dancer, from the Dancing Women series (N186) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 11/16 × 1 7/16 in. (6.9 × 3.7 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick
Accession Number
63.350.216.186.4
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of late 19th-century American advertising with *Pulchinella Dancer* from the *Dancing Women series (N186), by Wm. S. & Co. in 1889. This petite commercial color lithograph, measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 7/16 inches, captures a graceful female dancer embodying the mischievous Pulchinella character from commedia dell'arte traditions—a humpbacked, clownish figure reimagined here in feminine form amid swirling skirts and dynamic pose. Produced by a prominent Rochester, New York, tobacco company, it served as an enticing insert in cigarette packages, part of a popular trend in chromolithographed trade cards that turned everyday commerce into collectible art. Chromolithography, the era's breakthrough in mass-produced color printing, allowed Kimball to create vivid, eye-catching images that rivaled fine art while promoting their products. This technique layered up to 30 lithographic stones for rich hues, making affordable beauty accessible to the masses. The *Dancing Women* series reflected Victorian fascination with dance—from ballet to exotic performances—often idealizing women as symbols of elegance and allure, blending cultural entertainment with consumer marketing. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department as part of The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this ephemera highlights how advertising ephemeral bridged high art and popular culture, preserving snapshots of Gilded Age leisure for modern admirers.
About the Artist
William S. Kimball & Company · 1850–1950
**William S. Kimball & Company**, a pioneering American tobacco manufacturer, was established in 1846 in Rochester, New York, by William S. Kimball and James C. Hart. The firm quickly grew into one of the city's largest employers, particularly of women, producing popular brands like Peerless chewing tobacco, Rigatta and Fireside smoking tobacco, and Vanity Fair cigarettes. Under Kimball's leadersh...