Miss Gray, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Gypsy Queen Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

This photograph of Miss Gray was produced by Goodwin & Company as part of the Actors and Actresses series for Gypsy Queen Cigarettes. The image is printed on a small card, meant to be collected. The photographic process, in its relatively early stages here, was already deeply entwined with industrial production and consumerism. Photography democratized portraiture but also turned it into a commodity. Just think of all the labor that went into the process – from the camera and the lenses to the developing chemicals and the printing presses. And of course, this card wasn't made just to celebrate Miss Gray. It was designed to sell cigarettes. The photograph is an integral part of the history of advertising, where art, commerce, and desire meet. Consider how the rise of mass media like photography changed how we see ourselves and how we consume. It truly underscores how deeply art is embedded in the wider world of materials, making, and social context.