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

"Elsie Lombard" is a carte de visite, a type of small photograph, produced in 1890 by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company. The image is a close-up portrait of the actress Elsie Lombard. The portrait is part of a series of cards produced by Kinney Brothers to promote their Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. The card was designed to appeal to a broad audience, using a popular actress as a marketing tool and giving it a simple but appealing design. It is a prime example of the use of photography for commercial purposes in the late 19th century. The card, now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, is an important artifact of the early days of both cigarette advertising and photography.