From the Girls and Children series (N64) promoting Virginia Brights Cigarettes for Allen & Ginter brand tobacco products 1886

This small card, made by Allen & Ginter, promoted Virginia Brights Cigarettes, part of their tobacco products line. It's printed on paper, with chromolithography lending it a soft, almost dreamlike quality. The image features children dressed as adults in a wedding scene. The choice of chromolithography – a color printing technique that relies on the precise layering of multiple stones – speaks to the mass production of these cards. They were included in cigarette packs as a marketing strategy. The technique allowed for detailed, colorful images to be replicated quickly, contributing to the rise of consumer culture. There is a strange juxtaposition here between the innocence of childhood and the adult world of commerce and consumption. The labor involved in producing these cards, from the artists creating the images to the factory workers printing and packaging them, reflects the complex social and economic dynamics of the time. This card reminds us that even seemingly simple objects carry layers of meaning. They offer insight into the values, labor practices, and marketing strategies that shaped our consumer culture.