Marie Jansen, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Gypsy Queen Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

This is a photograph of Marie Jansen, an actress, made around the turn of the 20th century by Goodwin & Company for Gypsy Queen Cigarettes. The card belongs to a series that used images of actresses to promote tobacco. These cards were inserted into cigarette packs, capitalizing on the popularity of actresses and the rising trend of tobacco consumption. It reflects the commercialization of celebrity culture, and also the way that gender was instrumentalized in this marketing strategy. How did the packaging influence the reception and circulation of images? In what ways were images like this one designed to appeal to consumers, and what do they tell us about the cultural values of the period? To understand it further, one could research the history of advertising, the biographies of actresses like Jansen, and the social impact of tobacco use.