Snowshoe, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 5) issued by Kinney Bros. 1889

This small card, made by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company, probably in the 1880s, is from a series called “Novelties.” It depicts a woman’s face superimposed on an image of a snowshoe. Printed on thin paper, the card would have been churned out in vast numbers, included in cigarette packs as a freebie. The snowshoe itself is beautifully rendered, with attention to the woven mesh and the smooth curve of the wooden frame. It’s easy to imagine the handwork required to make an actual snowshoe – the careful joinery, the precise lacing. But here, that labor is all but erased. The card presents a curious compression of skilled work and industrial manufacture. Such trade cards were designed to build brand loyalty, enticing consumers with a fleeting image—a small, almost throwaway object produced on a massive scale. They represent a newly energized culture of consumption and leisure.