Mlle. Boyer, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 8) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This is Mlle. Boyer, from the Actors and Actresses series, a tiny card made in the United States for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. It’s a chromolithograph, a color print produced in multiple layers. What does it mean to have this actress’s image packaged with a consumer product? The late 19th century saw an explosion in mass media, and with it, new forms of celebrity. Stars of the stage became recognizable figures, their likenesses distributed on a scale previously unimaginable. This card isn't just about selling cigarettes, it's about selling a lifestyle, associating the brand with the glamour and allure of the theater. To understand this image, we need to look at the rise of celebrity culture, the history of advertising, and the changing social role of actresses in the late 19th century. We must remember that the meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.