Card 673, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 2) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This is a trading card from the Actors and Actresses series by Allen & Ginter, printed for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. The sepia tones create a soft, almost dreamlike quality. Notice how the composition is dominated by the actress's face, framed by a headdress that adds height and grandeur. The texture is smooth, typical of printed cards of the time, yet it hints at the photographic process that captured the image. The card plays with the semiotics of celebrity and consumerism. By placing an actress within a set of commercial products, the card collapses high and low culture. The actress, a signifier of elegance and drama, becomes a tool to sell cigarettes. This challenges the fixed meanings of both art and advertising, revealing how cultural values can be manipulated and commodified. The subdued palette emphasizes the constructed nature of image and representation. The actress's identity is subsumed by her role as a promotional figure, a testament to the pervasive influence of early advertising techniques.