Two of Hearts, Two Brave Hearts, from Harlequin Cards, 2nd Series (N220) issued by Kinney Bros.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American ephemera with *Two of Hearts, Two Hearts*, a charming commercial color lithograph from the *Harlequin Cards, nd Series (N220)* issued by the Kin Brothers Tobacco Company in 1889. This petite print, measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, was likely a collectible insert tucked into tobacco packages, transforming everyday smoking products into treasures for enthusiasts. The playful title reimagines the playing card suit, blending hearts with themes of bravery, as evoked by tags of birds, men, and playing cards—suggesting whimsical illustrations of anthropomorphic figures or heroic vignettes that captivated a growing market of card collectors. Color lithography, the medium here, marked a technological triumph of the Gilded Age, allowing mass production of vivid, inexpensive images that rivaled fine art. Kinney Brothers, a prominent tobacco firm, leveraged this to build brand loyalty, especially among young boys who traded these cards like modern trading cards. As ephemera, it reflects the era's commercial creativity, where advertising merged with popular culture. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this piece comes from the renowned Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, a gift that preserves thousands of such humble yet historically rich artifacts. It offers a window into Victorian-era leisure, marketing ingenuity, and the democratizing power of print.

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...