Miss Louison, from the Actresses series (N203) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

This tiny card showing ‘Miss Louison’ was produced by the American tobacco firm of William S. Kimball & Co. as part of a series of actresses. These cards, popular in the late 19th century, were inserted into cigarette packs as a marketing gimmick. But they also offer us a fascinating glimpse into the social and cultural values of the time. The depiction of actresses, like Miss Louison here, reveals much about the era's fascination with celebrity and the performing arts. Louison's exoticized costume, combined with the romantic backdrop, speaks to the broader cultural trends of Orientalism and the popular imagination of distant lands. The commodification of her image through mass production also reflects the growing influence of consumer culture. Historians can look to a variety of period sources – theatrical reviews, advertisements, and sociological studies – to get a better handle on the cultural meanings that this image would have carried.