Woman wearing hat with flowers and feathers, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 2) issued by Kinney Bros.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Woman wearing hat with flowers feathers*, a charming chromolithograph from Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company's Novelties series (N, Type 2), issued in 1889. This petite, round card—measuring just 1 9/16 inches across—was designed as a collectible insert in cigarette packages, part of a popular trend where tobacco firms like Kinney Bros. enticed smokers and enthusiasts alike with colorful, themed imagery. Printed using commercial color lithography, a technique that revolutionized mass-produced visuals with its vivid hues and fine detail, the card captures a stylish female profile adorned in an elaborate hat bursting with flowers and feathers. This reflects the opulent millinery fashions of the Gilded Age, where such extravagant headpieces symbolized femininity and social flair. As ephemera from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, it highlights how everyday commerce produced accessible art, bridging advertising and popular culture. These "cigarette cards" sparked a collecting craze, preserving snapshots of Victorian tastes while promoting brands. Today, they offer a delightful glimpse into an era when even a tiny print could dazzle.

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...