Rockaway, Long Island, from the Surf Beauties series (N232), issued by Kinney Bros.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of late 19th-century American advertising with *Rockaway, Long Island a charming commercial color lithograph from the *Surf Beauties* series (N232), issued by Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company 1889. This card, measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, captures the allure of fashionable women in profile against a seaside backdrop at Rockaway, Long Island bustling resort spot popular with New Yorkers seeking summer escapes. Produced as promotional inserts in tobacco products, these cards were collectibles designed to entice smokers and spark trading among enthusiasts. Chromolithography, the innovative printing technique used here, allowed for vivid, multi-color reproductions at scale, revolutionizing commercial art. Kinney Bros. excelled in this medium, creating series like *Surf Beauties* that celebrated the era's "New Woman"—athletic, stylish figures embracing beach culture amid the Gilded Age's leisure boom. Part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this ephemera highlights how everyday objects bridged art, commerce, and popular culture, offering a nostalgic glimpse into Victorian-era glamour and seaside escapism.

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...