Tobogganing, from the Pretty Athletes series (N196) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

This chromolithograph, Tobogganing, from the Pretty Athletes series, was created by William S. Kimball & Co. The figure is formally arranged to convey balance. The eye is immediately drawn to the bright red stockings, which are mirrored by the hat and contrasted against the neutral colors of the costume and toboggan. The lines of the costume emphasize the figure's waist while the toboggan is presented as a large flat plane, creating a flattening effect. This work challenges fixed meanings about gender through the figure’s attire. The costume is vaguely masculine but worn by a female figure. Note how the visual elements of the costume, such as the stripes, tassels, and fur trim, operate as signifiers, contributing to the figure's ambiguous gender presentation. Ultimately, the formal tension between flatness and depth, coupled with the ambiguity of gender representation, questions conventional modes of representation and engages with evolving notions of identity.