Emma Siegel, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1890

This small card was printed by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company, likely in the late 19th century, as a promotional item for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. It’s an albumen print, a process popular then that uses egg whites to bind the photographic chemicals to the paper. This gives the image a smooth, glossy surface, and also a sepia tone that speaks to the era in which it was made. The image shows the actress Emma Siegel in a sailor-style dress, holding a rope. What might otherwise be regarded as a simple portrait becomes more complex when we consider the context. Cards like these were essentially mass-produced, and inserted into cigarette packs to encourage repeat purchases. They speak volumes about the culture of celebrity, consumption, and leisure in the late 19th century. The image of Emma Siegel gains its significance from this intersection of artistry and industry, a reminder that even the most seemingly ephemeral objects can tell us about the wider world of labor and production.