Lucy Bernard, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

"Lucy Bernard, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes" is a trade card featuring an image of the actress Lucy Bernard. Printed between 1885 and 1891 by the Allen & Ginter company, the card is a part of a larger set of cards produced as advertising for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. The card depicts Bernard in a theatrical costume, likely from a stage production. The photographic style, typical of the time, features a sharp focus and a sepia tone. The card, measuring 2 3/4 x 1 3/8 inches, is now held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The card serves as a valuable document of 19th-century American theater and the history of cigarette advertising.