Drum, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 4) issued by Kinney Bros. 1889

This small card was printed by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as part of a series of collectible novelties. It's a chromolithograph, meaning multiple stone plates were used to apply different colors in layers, an industrialized, highly skilled printmaking process. Notice how the process emphasizes both realism and idealization: a young woman's portrait is placed next to a meticulously rendered drum. The gold color of the drum radiates opulence, while the image of the woman could be taken from a high society portrait, but is printed en masse. These cards were essentially advertisements, small artworks included in cigarette packs to encourage brand loyalty. They speak to the rise of consumer culture in the late 19th century, where art became intertwined with commerce. The mass production of images like these democratized art, making it accessible, yet it also commodified it, turning artistic skill into a tool for selling tobacco.