From the Girls and Children series (N64) promoting Virginia Brights Cigarettes for Allen & Ginter brand tobacco products 1886

This small chromolithograph, part of Allen & Ginter's "Girls and Children" series, was made to promote Virginia Brights Cigarettes. These cards were printed using lithography, a process involving drawing on stone or metal, then using oil-based inks to transfer the image onto paper. The texture of the card is smooth, almost glossy, a result of the printing technique and the paper used. The image depicts a child in a domestic setting, reinforcing the idea of cigarettes as a commonplace, even innocent, product. But consider the labor involved: from the factory workers producing the cigarettes, to the artists and printers creating these alluring cards. The mass production of such items reflects a late 19th-century shift in consumer culture, where even harmful products were marketed with sentimental imagery. This card reminds us to consider the full story behind everyday objects, challenging the divide between commerce and art.