Card 871, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 2) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This small photographic card was created by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. These cards were printed using photographic processes, and then included in cigarette packs. These were collected, traded, and even pasted into albums, much like baseball cards today. What's interesting is the relationship between the high-end subject matter – here, the actor Maggie Mitchell – and the low-end application of the image. The mode of production and distribution is pure industrial capitalism. These were mass-produced, and meant to be consumed and discarded. Yet, at the same time, the photographic process invested each card with a sense of realism and value. And don't forget the labor required to produce these cards on a mass scale. In this way, the card is an interesting collision of values: art, commerce, and the everyday. This reminds us that the most seemingly disposable objects can also be culturally significant.