Rest on Arms, from the Parasol Drills series (N18) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1888

This is a card from the "Parasol Drills" series, printed by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. It's chromolithography – a process involving multiple stone plates to build up an image in layers of color. These cards were essentially miniature billboards included in cigarette packs. The material itself, thin card stock, speaks to the ephemerality of advertising and the disposability inherent in consumer culture. The image is of a fashionable woman holding a closed parasol, dressed in military-inspired frogging. It reflects the late 19th-century fascination with both fashion and martial display. The card represents a highly developed industrial process, using the skilled labor of engravers and printers. In contrast to earlier forms of printmaking, like etching, chromolithography was perfectly suited to mass production and the distribution of promotional material. So, this little card is a fascinating intersection of material, technique, and social context, blurring the lines between art, advertising, and everyday life.