Florence Baker, from the Actresses series (N246), Type 2, issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sporting Extra Cigarettes 1888 - 1892

This small card was produced by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as a promotional item for their Sporting Extra Cigarettes. It's one of a series of actresses and dancers, wildly popular at the time. In late 19th-century America, the rise of consumer culture and mass media created new opportunities for companies to market their products. Tobacco companies were among the most aggressive, using images of popular performers to appeal to a broad audience. These images were not just advertisements; they were also a form of cultural currency, reflecting and shaping ideas about beauty, fame, and success. Cards like these offer insights into the social and cultural values of the time. Historians consult playbills, newspapers, and other archival materials to understand the context in which such images were produced and consumed. Art, in this sense, is never created in a vacuum but reflects the complex interplay of social forces and institutional structures.