Woman wearing hat with ribbons, 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 ribbons*, a charming chromolithograph from Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company's Novelties series (N228, Type 2), in 1889. This petite, round print—measuring just 1 9/16 inches in diameter—captures a woman adorned in an elaborate hat festooned with ribbons, her poised elegance evoking the fashionable femininity of the Gilded Age. As a commercial color lithograph, it showcases the era's mastery of chromolithography, a technique that allowed for vivid, mass-produced hues on paper, making luxury imagery accessible to everyday consumers. Issued by the Kinney Brothers, a prominent New York tobacco firm, this card was likely a premium tucked into cigarette packages to entice collectors and boost brand loyalty. Tobacco companies popularized such ephemera in the late 1800s, transforming ordinary trades into a cultural phenomenon. Part of the renowned Jefferson R. Burdick Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, it highlights how these tiny artifacts preserved snapshots of Victorian style, gender ideals, and consumer culture. Today, this unassuming print reminds us of advertising's artistic flair and the joy of collecting, bridging commerce and creativity in a bygone era.

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...