Floy Crowell, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Curator: Looking at this, I immediately think of the way it softens time, giving it a slightly nostalgic feel. Editor: Indeed. This is Floy Crowell, and it comes from the "Actors and Actresses" series, specifically N45, Type 1, produced for Virginia Brights Cigarettes between 1885 and 1891 by Allen & Ginter. Curator: It is amazing what businesses will do to reach different target groups. Editor: Exactly! Think about how cigarette companies sought cultural relevance and boosted sales through these collectible cards, shaping public perceptions of performers like Crowell and fueling celebrity culture. The cards are themselves a carefully calibrated act of image production, intended to both promote cigarettes, and flatter, attract and immortalize Crowell and the other actresses and actors that populated the series. Curator: I’m interested in the mass-production aspect. These weren’t unique artworks, but rather items manufactured at scale, impacting labor practices and consumer culture profoundly. The choice of materials - card stock, the inks, and the printing techniques - each contributing to the accessibility and affordability that drove circulation. And you cannot miss how class enters the picture through mass-consumption culture! Editor: That is so true! The way such images circulated widely had implications. The circulation of such images allowed performances, and performers, to enter people's homes. The commodification of fame and the presentation of actresses as figures of aspiration reflect a broader shift in cultural values during the late 19th century. Museums began exhibiting photography seriously right around this period, too. Curator: Ultimately, whether you study it as a print, a photograph, or as an advertising medium, Floy Crowell’s image provides an extraordinary insight into material conditions and modes of production in its moment. Editor: Definitely. Viewing this as part of a historical record—of entertainment, of marketing, and of the era’s values—certainly gives me a deeper perspective.