Alma Stanley, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This card, part of the "Actors and Actresses" series by Allen & Ginter, was made to be included in packs of Virginia Brights Cigarettes. The image is a photograph of Alma Stanley. The albumen print process was a popular way to reproduce images at a large scale in the 19th century. Consider the image's materiality. Paper, a thin support, and photographic chemicals allowed this portrait to be reproduced by the thousands. The photograph is sepia-toned and mounted on card stock. This was a highly mechanized and commercialized process, allowing for widespread distribution. The card would have been printed, cut, and inserted into cigarette packs by factory workers. It served as a promotional tool, linking the glamour of the stage with the consumption of tobacco. It also speaks to the nature of labor, politics, and consumption in the 19th century, where entertainment and vice were increasingly packaged and sold to the masses. Thinking about materials and making helps us to understand the cultural and social context in which this image was produced and consumed.