Hellen Leteller, from the Actresses series (N203) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

Hellen Leteller, from the Actresses series, was issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co., most likely using photolithography. These cards were printed using industrial processes. Instead of an artist’s hand, it’s the machinery of mass production that gives them their visual appearance. The material, thin card stock, is cheap and lightweight. The image, likely derived from a photograph, is reproduced in monochromatic tones, losing much of its subtlety in the process. What’s remarkable is how this ordinary bit of ephemera gives us insight into the burgeoning world of celebrity and consumerism in the late 19th century. These cards were included in cigarette packs to stiffen them, but also to promote actresses like Leteller, and, of course, the Kimball company itself. It’s a stark contrast to the hand-painted portraits of earlier eras, and a telling example of how art and commerce became intertwined. So, next time you see a small printed image like this, remember that its simplicity belies the complex social and economic forces at play in its creation.