Annie Russell, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1890

This is a photograph of Annie Russell, the actress, printed by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company, as a promotional insert for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. The image is on thin card, and the printing would have been achieved through industrial photomechanical reproduction. What's interesting is that this small card was conceived as a collectible, but also as a throwaway item, designed to be discarded with the cigarette packaging. It represents the intersection of celebrity culture and mass production, a literal byproduct of consumerism. The card is worn, showing the marks of handling and age, which only adds to the effect. The original image of Russell, in combination with this mass production and distribution method, is a reminder of the complex relationship between labor, art, and advertising in the late 19th century. The image exists because of factory workers, tobacco farmers, and the networks of trade that capitalism enabled. This convergence challenges our traditional notions of art and value.