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

Art Historical Context

Step into the lively world of 19th-century advertising with *Tarantella, from Dances (N225, Type 1)*, a charming commercial color lithograph issued by the Kinney Brothers Company in 1889 This petite print, measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, captures the exuberant energy of the Italianantella—a folk dance known for its rapid spins and tambourine rhythms, often performed by women in vibrant costumes. As part of a popular series promoting Kinney's tobacco products, it served as a collectible insert in cigarette packs, fueling the era's craze for trading cards among enthusiasts. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a breakthrough technique allowing mass production of vivid, multi-colored images from stone plates—a far cry from earlier hand-colored prints. This made elaborate scenes like swirling dancers accessible and affordable, blending artistry with commerce. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, thanks to the Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, it exemplifies ephemera: everyday items that reveal cultural snapshots. Today, this tiny treasure highlights America's fascination with global folk traditions amid waves of European immigration, inviting us to twirl through history one dance at a 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...