Spanish, from Types of Nationalities (N240) issued by Kinney Bros.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th advertising with *Spanish, from Types of NationalitiesN240)*, a commercial color lithograph produced by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company 1890. This card, measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 7/16 inches when folded for packaging, unfolds to 6 7/8 × 1 7/16 inches, was tucked into cigarette packs as a collectible incentive. Part of a series capturing "types" of nationalities, it likely portrays a stereotypical Spanish man, reflecting the era's fascination with ethnic diversity through simplified, exoticized imagery tagged simply as "Men." Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized mass printing by layering vibrant colors from stone plates, making high-quality illustrations affordable and eye-catching for everyday consumers. Kinney Bros., a prominent tobacco firm, used these ephemera to build brand loyalty amid fierce competition, turning smokers into avid collectors. Such cards bridged art and commerce, popularizing visual storytelling in American culture. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this piece comes from The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, a treasure trove of over 30,000 ephemera gifted in 1948. It offers a window into Gilded Age consumerism and the playful yet problematic lens of national stereotypes, reminding us how everyday objects captured the spirit of their time.

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...