Blondin, Champion Tightrope Walker, from the Champions of Games and Sports series (N184, Type 2) issued by W.S. Kimball & Co. 1887

This lithograph of Blondin, the champion tightrope walker, was printed by W.S. Kimball & Co. as part of a series of collectible cards inserted into cigarette packs. The chromolithographic process employed here was highly industrialized; images were divided into different colors, each applied with a separate lithographic stone. The resulting print simulates the effect of a painting, but it was a far cry from the handmade. These cards were churned out at high speed. Consider, then, the contrast between the intensive labor and risk that Blondin himself undertook, and the ease with which his image was reproduced and distributed. The card speaks volumes about the rise of celebrity culture, and the commodification of thrilling spectacle. It suggests a world where even the most unique human achievements could be turned into cheap, disposable objects of consumption.