Alma, from the Ballet Queens series (N182) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

This small card, "Alma," from the Ballet Queens series, was made by Wm. S. Kimball & Co., purveyors of popular ephemera. It is a chromolithograph, a method of color printing that took hold in the late 19th century. The process involved creating a series of lithographic stones, one for each color, then printing them in sequence to build up the image. It's a labor-intensive process but allowed for mass production. Notice how this technique renders the dancer’s costume with sharp lines and flat blocks of color. The texture of the fabric is suggested through subtle variations, adding depth to the overall image. These cards were essentially advertisements, packaged with cigarettes. They were collected and traded, reflecting a culture of mass production and consumption. Examining the materials and making of this card allows us to understand the broader social and economic forces at play in the late 1800s. It also challenges our assumptions about what constitutes art, and who gets to make it.