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

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American advertising with *Snake Dance*, a charming chromolithograph from the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company's " Dances" series (N225, Type 1), issued in 1889 This petite print, measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, was designed as a collectible insert in cigarette packages, enticing smokers with exotic imagery of global and cultural dances. Here, silhouetted profiles of women in flowing attire weave gracefully with serpentine forms, evoking the rhythmic intensity of ritual performances—likely inspired by the famed Hopi Snake Dance of Native American pueblos, a sacred ceremony blending reverence for nature and spiritual renewal. Produced via commercial color lithography, a revolutionary technique of the era, the card bursts with vivid hues and precise detailing, showcasing the era's mastery of mass-produced artistry. Chromolithography allowed tobacco firms like Kinney Bros. to create affordable, eye-catching ephemera that doubled as trading cards, fueling a collecting craze among Victorians. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department as part of the Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this piece highlights the intersection of commerce, culture, and curiosity, preserving a snapshot of how popular media romanticized indigenous traditions for a fascinated public.

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...