Cora Parker, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This photograph of Cora Parker comes to us from a series of collectible cards, distributed with Virginia Brights Cigarettes. The cards were a chromolithograph, a color printing technique that uses multiple lithographic stones, each applying a different color to the final print. The process demanded skilled labor to achieve a high-quality image, and the choice of this method reflects the marketing strategy to associate cigarettes with sophistication and luxury. What is more, though the image presents an actress, the card itself was a product of factory labor. Think of the many hands involved in growing, harvesting, curing, and processing the tobacco, printing the cards, and assembling the final product. The card's small size and mass-produced nature contrast with the artistry of the chromolithography. These cards blurred the lines between art, advertising, and everyday life, inviting us to consider the complex relationship between artistic expression and the commercial forces that shape our material world.