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

Editor: This is "Annie Sutherland, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes" made sometime between 1885 and 1891 by Allen & Ginter. It's a photo that seems almost dreamlike in its softness, partly because it was printed as a cigarette card. What should we consider when viewing this work? Curator: The photograph's reproduction on a cigarette card speaks volumes about the commodification of image and celebrity. The Virginia Brights Cigarettes logo links the actress to mass production and consumption. Who was Annie Sutherland? Was her labor fairly compensated in this exchange? Consider how this mass dissemination collapses the distinction between “high art” portraiture and ephemeral advertising. Editor: So, it's less about Annie Sutherland herself, and more about... the cigarette company using her image? Curator: Precisely. We can examine the photographic process itself, the choices in lighting and pose made by Allen & Ginter to best serve their brand. Also, we should look into the history of cigarette cards themselves. Were these "collectables" meant to appeal to children? Editor: I never thought about cigarette cards being more than just tiny pictures. Curator: Indeed. Think of the paper, the ink, the printing presses, the human labor that created this mass-produced object. And how all that impacted, and was impacted by, the subject it portrays. Editor: It shifts the whole understanding from art as aesthetic to art as a product of its time and place in manufacturing and industry. Thank you for illuminating this different angle! Curator: My pleasure. This "ephemeral" photograph provides great insight when looking beyond the celebrity and analyzing the historical circumstances and mode of production behind this consumer object.