Leukothea, Goddess of Sailors, from the Goddesses of the Greeks and Romans series (N188) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

This is "Leukothea, Goddess of Sailors," a chromolithograph card from the Goddesses of the Greeks and Romans series, made by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. The composition features a central female figure, Leukothea, against a backdrop of sea and sky. Note how the artist uses a limited palette of blues, pinks, and golds to create a sense of ethereal beauty, typical of depictions of classical deities. The goddess is draped in flowing fabrics, with a bolt of lightning above her name, alluding to her power over the seas. This use of classical iconography serves to locate the goddess within a familiar system of mythological representation. However, the industrial mode of production, lithography, introduces a tension between high art and commercial imagery. Here, the sacred is reproduced as a commodity. Consider how the formal elements—color, line, and composition—work together to construct meaning and invite ongoing interpretation.