From the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 5) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This is a lithograph made for Virginia Brights Cigarettes by Allen and Ginter, part of a series depicting actors and actresses. These cards were included in cigarette packs, tapping into the growing popularity of celebrity culture in the late 19th century in the United States. The image presents a posed actress, hands on hips, gazing confidently. Her clothing and jewelry signify a certain social status, reflecting the aspirational desires of the tobacco brand’s consumers. This kind of advertising participates in the broader social and economic changes of the Gilded Age. Mass production, urbanization, and the rise of a consumer culture created new audiences for both the performing arts and commercial products. To fully understand these images, we can turn to archives of advertising history, theater ephemera, and social histories of the period. It becomes clear how art is deeply embedded within particular economic systems.