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

This photograph of Ernestine Weber, from the Actresses series, was produced by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as promotional material for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. The image is a small, mass-produced card, made through industrial photographic printing processes. Consider the material reality of this object: its small size, the thinness of the paper, and the way it was circulated. These cards were essentially a byproduct of tobacco consumption, designed to be collected and traded. The image itself, of a stage actress, is a carefully constructed illusion, a manufactured image intended to capture the public's imagination. The Kinney Brothers weren’t just selling cigarettes, but also a lifestyle, a fantasy of glamour and entertainment. The mass production of these cards speaks to the rise of consumer culture and the commodification of images. It’s a reminder that even seemingly ephemeral objects can tell us a great deal about the social and economic forces at play during their creation. It also challenges traditional notions of art, and artistic creation.