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

This is Anna Suits, an image produced by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as part of the Actresses series, issued with Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. This small card is made using photography and printing. The photographic process captures Suits in a staged pose, likely in a studio setting. Mass production then allowed this image to be reproduced on a small card. The texture and weight of the card itself, designed to be collected and traded, speaks to the rise of consumer culture. This system created value in the advertising as much as the tobacco itself. The Kinney Brothers were engaging with skilled traditions, though not in the conventional sense of fine art. Instead, they tapped into the aesthetics of popular culture, elevating actresses like Anna Suits to celebrity status. The image embodies issues of labor and consumption, with the actress's image being used to drive sales in a burgeoning market. It’s important to consider how mass-produced imagery, like this card, blurs the line between art, advertising, and everyday life, challenging traditional distinctions of value.