Card 422, Miss Young, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This small card featuring Miss Young was made by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. The card is from a series depicting actors and actresses, likely from the late 19th century in the United States. These cards were designed to be collected and traded, reflecting a growing interest in celebrity culture, fueled by the rise of mass media and advertising. The Virginia Brights brand was keen to associate itself with the glamorous world of theater, enhancing its appeal to consumers. The image itself, a carefully posed portrait of Miss Young, constructs a particular kind of feminine ideal. The presence of this card in a museum collection today reminds us that the meaning and value of art are never fixed. They evolve over time in response to ever-changing cultural and institutional contexts. Examining popular ephemera like this offers a fascinating glimpse into the social and cultural landscape of its time, and the mechanisms through which industries shaped public taste. Careful research into the archives of advertising history, theater history, and photography would all shed further light on this small but intriguing object.