Card Number 18, cut-out from banner advertising the Opera Gloves series (G29) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1885 - 1895

This is Card Number 18, a cut-out advertising the Opera Gloves series for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes, printed with chromolithography. It is made from paper, but it's more than just a picture, it's a little piece of industrial history. The chromolithographic process allowed for mass production and vibrant colors using multiple limestone blocks, each inked with a different color and printed in succession. The image is a blue-gloved hand holding a portrait of a woman, promising elegance and refinement to those who bought Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. The process reflects the rise of consumer culture, where art and commerce combined to create desire. The card epitomizes the industrialization of image-making, as a labor intensive craft process became streamlined for mass appeal. It blurs the boundaries between art, advertising, and everyday life.