Josie Hall, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This is a trading card featuring the actress Josie Hall, produced by Allen & Ginter, a company known for their tobacco cards, as part of their “Actors and Actresses” series. The card features a black and white photograph of the actress in a hat and wearing a necklace. The card is part of a series of advertising for Virginia Brights Cigarettes, a popular brand in the late 19th century. The card, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, exemplifies the trend of using celebrity images for commercial purposes in the late 19th century, particularly for tobacco advertising. The card is also a small but significant piece of theatrical history, preserving a snapshot of a popular performer from the Victorian era.