Omene, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 8) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

"Omene" is a photographic portrait from the "Actors and Actresses" series of trading cards produced by Allen & Ginter between 1885 and 1891 for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. The card features a bust-length image of a woman with her hair styled in a loose bun, looking off to the side. The image is printed in a sepia tone, a popular choice for trading cards of the era, and the card itself is small, measuring only 2 5/8 x 1 1/2 inches. It is part of a larger series of collectible cards that depicted popular actors and actresses of the day, a practice that helped popularize the use of photographs in advertising and entertainment. This particular card, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, gives a glimpse into the late 19th-century world of theater and popular culture.