Mme. Lillas, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1890

This is a promotional card for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes, printed by Kinney Brothers, sometime in the late nineteenth century. Such cards were a popular advertising medium, offering idealized images of actresses and other public figures. This one presents us with "Mme. Lillas," her gaze directed coyly to the side, her hair elegantly styled with flowers. The card speaks to a culture where smoking was being promoted as a sophisticated and glamorous activity. The economic structures of the time, with burgeoning industrial capitalism, allowed for the mass production and distribution of these cards. But what was the impact of these images on the culture? How did they shape perceptions of beauty, success, and the role of women? These are just some of the questions that social historians might explore, using sources ranging from company records to popular magazines. Approaching art from this perspective helps us understand its complex relationship to the social and institutional forces that shape our world.