Card 928, Mary Anderson, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 2) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This is a card made by Allen & Ginter, featuring Mary Anderson, from the Actors and Actresses series for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. The card is made of paper, printed with a photographic image. This was not a unique art object, but one of a series, made to be collected by consumers. The image is sepia-toned, giving it a nostalgic feel. These cards were essentially advertisements, but their value rested in their collectibility. The company traded on the fame of figures like Mary Anderson, using her star power to move merchandise. The image shows her in costume, but also commodifies her likeness; she’s presented as a kind of alluring collectible herself. By understanding this card within the context of mass production and celebrity culture, we can understand the blurred lines between art, advertising, and consumption in the late 19th century. It challenges our conventional notions of what constitutes art and reminds us that meaning is often embedded in the object's historical and social context.