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

This card, depicting Elsie Pettie, was produced by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as a promotional item for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. It's a small rectangle of card stock, printed with a photographic image. What's interesting here is the direct tie between the culture industry and consumerism. Consider how the image itself was made: likely through a combination of photographic and industrial printing processes, both of which were rapidly developing at the time. These cards were churned out in vast quantities, a testament to the rise of mass production and the advertising industry. The image of Elsie Pettie, an actress, was thus transformed into a commodity, a tool to sell cigarettes. It’s easy to overlook these objects, but they offer a fascinating glimpse into the social and economic landscape of the time, blurring the lines between art, industry, and consumption.