The Lily, from the Magic Changing Cards series (N223) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th advertising with *The Lily*, a charming commercial color lithograph from theney Brothers Tobacco Company's Magic Changing Cards series (N), issued in 1889. These petite cards, measuring just 2 3/4 × 1 1/2 inches, were tucked into cigarette packs as promotional incentives, transforming everyday tobacco purchases into collectible treasures. Featuring elegant motifs of women and lilies—symbols of purity and beauty in Victorian culture—the card exemplifies the era's blend of commerce and artistry. Produced via chromolithography, a revolutionary printing technique that allowed for vivid, multi-layered colors on a mass scale, *The Lily* showcases the technical prowess of commercial presses. The "magic changing" gimmick of the series likely involved optical illusions or transformations visible when tilted or viewed in certain lights, delighting collectors and sparking a trading card craze. As part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this ephemera highlights how everyday objects captured the imagination, bridging fine art and popular culture. Today, it reminds us of advertising's creative evolution, where floral femininity lured consumers into a whimsical pastime. A tiny window into Gilded Age ingenuity!

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...