Saltarello, from National Dances (N225, Type 1) issued by Kinney Bros.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Saltarello, from Dances (N225, Type 1)*, a charming commercial color lithograph produced by the Kinney Brothers Company in 1889 This petite print, measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, captures the exuberant energy of the Italian folk dance known as the saltarello—a lively jumping dance traditionally accompanied by guitars and performed by men in festive attire. Part of a popular series inserted into cigarette packs, it invited collectors to amass sets depicting dances from around the globe, blending cultural celebration with clever marketing. Chromolithography, the innovative color printing technique used here, allowed for vivid hues and intricate details on a mass scale, making these ephemera accessible and collectible. Issued during the Gilded Age boom in American tobacco promotion, Kinney's cards like this one fueled a collecting craze, transforming everyday packaging into miniature artworks. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, it exemplifies how commercial prints preserved snapshots of global traditions. Today, this tiny gem highlights the cultural exchange of the era, evoking the rhythmic joy of Mediterranean festivities while revealing the artistry hidden in advertising history. A delightful window into Victorian leisure and dance heritage!

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...