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

Curator: This is "Josie Hall, from the Actors and Actresses series," created between 1885 and 1891 for Virginia Brights Cigarettes by Allen & Ginter. It’s currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: It has an old-timey feel. It’s intimate and appears delicate given its muted tones and subtle details. Curator: Absolutely. It's a print, a mass-produced image distributed as part of a marketing campaign. These cards were hugely popular. The use of an actress as a subject reveals how the burgeoning culture of celebrity intersected with commerce at the time. The cards weren’t merely images; they were also trade objects. Editor: And think of the layers of labor embedded in it! From the initial drawing or photograph to the printing process and the factory workers who assembled the cigarette packs and inserted these cards... The choice of paper and ink likely came down to cost and availability in those large print runs. How fascinating. Curator: Indeed! These cards acted as a form of advertising, blurring the lines between art, entertainment, and capitalist enterprise. They were often collected and traded, circulating imagery and constructing notions of beauty and fame for a wide audience. And what do you make of this choice of actors, though? What were they saying? Editor: Well, portraying performers was clearly a bid to associate smoking Virginia Brights with glamour and sophistication. The celebrity status transferred desirability, suggesting these cigarettes were enjoyed by a refined and culturally engaged public. Curator: And the very materiality of the print contributed. This specific format provided tangible intimacy with these stars to those buying them. Editor: It is kind of amazing when you think that ephemeral things such as these cards become an entry point into understanding cultural history. It underscores how everyday objects carry immense social and political weight. Curator: Absolutely! It demonstrates how studying what was circulated reveals trends in value and what's shared amongst broader publics. It goes beyond a beautiful picture on its own. Editor: I agree, investigating this reveals so much about Victorian-era cultural desires. Curator: Indeed!