Happy New Year, from the New Years 1890 series (N227) issued by Kinney Bros. 1889 - 1890

This tiny card, made around 1890 by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company, is from a series called “New Years.” It's a chromolithograph, meaning that it was printed using multiple lithographic stones, each carrying a different color. Cards like these were essentially a form of advertising. The image itself depicts a child in a harlequin suit reading a “Happy New Year” sign to a trio of birds. It’s a charming, innocuous scene, but the real point was to promote Kinney Brothers’ brand. The company name, though not featured prominently in the image, would have been well-known to smokers. The process of chromolithography was highly industrialized, relying on skilled laborers to transfer images onto the stones and then print them in precise registration. Though small, this card represents a huge shift in visual culture, as mass production brought colorful images into everyday life. This democratizing effect blurred the lines between commerce, art, and popular taste.