Mary Anderson, from the Actresses and Celebrities series (N60, Type 1) promoting Little Beauties Cigarettes for Allen & Ginter brand tobacco products 1887

This is a trade card from the "Actresses and Celebrities" series created by Allen & Ginter in 1887 to promote their "Little Beauties" brand of cigarettes. The card features a portrait of actress Mary Anderson, known for her performances in Shakespearean plays, and is a prime example of the use of celebrity endorsements in 19th-century advertising. The card, measuring just over two inches tall, is printed on a thin sheet of paper with a brown border and a white center. It features a simple photographic portrait of Anderson, emphasizing her beauty and poise, a powerful marketing tool for the tobacco company. The card is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection and is an intriguing artifact of late 19th-century commercial culture.