Snowshoe, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 3) issued by Kinney Bros.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Snowshoe, from the Novelties seriesN228, Type 3)*, a charming commercial color lithograph produced by the Kinney Brothers Company in 1889 This petite card, measuring just 2 7/8 × 15/16 inches, captures a whimsical depiction of women's footwear tagged as a "snowshoe," blending with novelty. Issued as promotional ephemera with tobacco, it reflects the era booming trade card culture, where companies like Kinney Bros. distributed collectible inserts to boost brand loyalty and spark collecting fervor among consumers. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a groundbreaking technique allowing vivid, multi-color prints at scale—perfect for mass appeal. Kinney's Novelties series (cataloged as N228) showcased quirky subjects, turning everyday items into eye-catching art. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this piece highlights how ephemera preserved slices of American commerce and design. Fun fact: These cards fueled a trading craze akin to modern baseball cards, offering glimpses into Victorian-era whimsy around women's attire and outdoor gear. Today, it reminds us how advertising blurred lines between commerce and culture, transforming a simple snowshoe into a tiny treasure of historical intrigue.

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...