Ellaline Terriss, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 8) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This is a "trade card" depicting Ellaline Terriss, an English actress. Part of the *Actors and Actresses* series produced between 1885 and 1891 by Allen & Ginter, the cards were given away as premiums with packs of Virginia Brights Cigarettes. The sepia-toned photograph features a young Terriss in a seated pose, wearing a simple dress and a string of beads, captured against a richly patterned background. This trade card, now housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a fascinating example of the connection between popular culture and advertising in the late 19th century.