Soudan, from the Dancing Girls of the World series (N185) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 11/16 × 1 1/2 in. (6.8 × 3.8 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
63.350.216.185.44
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming color lithograph titled *Soudan* belongs to the “Dancing Girls of the World” series (N185) produced in 1889 by Wm. S. Kimball & Company, a leading American tobacco firm. Measuring just 2 11/16 by 1 1/2 inches, the tiny print was originally inserted into packages of cigarettes as a collectible trade card—an ingenious marketing device that turned everyday purchases into miniature lessons in geography and costume. The image presents a graceful female dancer whose pose and minimal attire evoke the exotic appeal of North African performance traditions popular in late-nineteenth-century Europe and America. Rendered through the bright, flat colors of commercial lithography, the card exemplifies how new printing technologies allowed manufacturers to distribute affordable, eye-catching art to a mass audience. Today, *Soudan* survives in the Metropolitan Museum’s Burdick Collection, reminding visitors that even the smallest ephemera can illuminate the intersection of commerce, popular culture, and the era’s fascination with global dance traditions.
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...