Hellen Brooks, from the Actresses series (N203) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

This is Hellen Brooks from the Actresses series, a lithograph issued by the Wm. S. Kimball & Co. cigarette company in the United States. These cards existed in a specific social context, one in which tobacco companies sought to associate their products with glamour and celebrity. The cards were a marketing strategy designed to appeal to consumers through the dissemination of popular imagery. Actresses, like Hellen Brooks, represented an aspirational lifestyle, and their association with cigarettes implied sophistication. It’s important to remember that the image of Hellen Brooks would have been carefully curated, reflecting the prevailing beauty standards and social norms of the time. The institutional history of advertising and the growing commercialization of culture played a significant role in shaping the image. By researching the archives of advertising history, we can begin to unpack the complex social and economic dynamics at play in the production and consumption of these images.