Nettie Von Bieg, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1890

This is a 1890s trade card produced by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company featuring actress Nettie Von Bieg. This trade card, which was most likely included in a pack of Sweet Caporal cigarettes, features a sepia-toned photographic image of the actress in a dramatic pose, likely meant to capture her stage persona. Trade cards like these were popular promotional tools in the late 19th century and served as a form of early celebrity branding. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City houses this small, yet important piece of theater history.