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

This small card featuring Annie Lewis was created by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes in the late 19th century. These cards, trading cards really, were popular marketing tools, and this series focused on actors and actresses. The image presents us with questions about the social conditions that enabled its production. Tobacco companies like Allen & Ginter were titans of industry at the time, and used imagery to associate their product with desirable qualities like fame and beauty. The popularity of actresses like Lewis reflected changing social norms, as women began to occupy more prominent roles in public life. But it also shows the insitutional power dynamics of the time, in the way it turns people into commodities, and the way it links glamour with harmful products. To understand this image fully, we need to delve into the history of advertising, popular culture, and the evolving roles of women in the late 19th century. The meaning of this artwork is deeply intertwined with its social and institutional context.