Mrs. James Brown Potter, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

This is a photographic print of Mrs. James Brown Potter, made around the turn of the 20th century by Goodwin & Company as part of a series of actors and actresses included in Old Judge Cigarettes. What's fascinating here is how photography was put to work as industrial production, a means of enticing customers. Consider the amount of labor involved in this image: actors, set designers, photographers, and then the legions of workers who printed and packaged these cards for mass consumption. The sepia tone gives a sense of nostalgia, but don't let that fool you, this was cutting edge. Each card, a carefully calibrated piece of propaganda designed to associate smoking with glamour and celebrity. By understanding the processes of its making, we can see the photograph not just as an image, but as a commodity, embedded in networks of labor, promotion, and desire. This challenges us to think critically about the relationship between art, industry, and consumer culture.