Babette Rodney, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1890

This is a photograph of Babette Rodney, a performer, produced by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as a promotional item for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. These cards were produced in the United States, around the 1880s, a period when the burgeoning advertising industry employed new printing technologies to create mass-produced collectibles. These cards, inserted into cigarette packs, captured the public's imagination, reflecting and shaping popular culture. Actresses, athletes, and other celebrities became familiar faces, their images circulated widely, contributing to the emerging cult of celebrity. The cards functioned within a complex social and economic system, linking consumerism, entertainment, and the commodification of the human image. Historical research into the Kinney Brothers, their marketing strategies, and the careers of the actresses featured, can reveal much about the cultural values and social dynamics of the time. The meaning of this image resides not only in its aesthetic qualities but also in its role as a cultural artifact embedded in a specific historical moment.