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

This small card featuring Annie Pixley comes from a series of actresses produced by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. These cards existed within a larger cultural moment defined by industrial capitalism and the rise of consumer culture. As advertising boomed, celebrity endorsements became a common strategy to move product, and here, Pixley’s image is mobilized to sell cigarettes, targeting both male and female consumers. The image is both intimate and performative, portraying Pixley in costume, as she simultaneously embodies an idealized image of femininity and a commodity to be consumed. Pixley's look is interesting; her costume and pose are evocative of "the orient," a common trope at this time that exoticized and sexualized non-Western cultures. Cards like these offer a glimpse into the complex interplay of gender, performance, and consumerism in the late 19th century, and reminds us that the construction of identity has always been intertwined with commerce.