Mlle. Adelaid Emerson, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This card, featuring Mlle. Adelaid Emerson, was produced by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. It’s printed on thin paper stock, likely using a lithographic process, a mechanized technique ideal for mass production. The sepia tone, achieved through chemical processes, gives the card a sense of nostalgia. But think about the context. These cards weren't intended as high art. They were commercial objects, churned out to promote a brand, nestled inside cigarette packs to stiffen them, and encourage repeat purchases. The image itself, portraying an actress with a tambourine, romanticizes performance, but the card's true purpose was purely economic. Consider the labor involved: from the papermaking to the printing, to the factory workers who packed these cards with cigarettes. It's a glimpse into the industrialization of leisure, where art and entertainment become commodities. These cards remind us that even seemingly innocuous images are embedded in systems of labor, consumption, and capitalist exchange.