Emma Chester, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 3) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This small card, featuring Emma Chester, was made by Allen & Ginter as part of a series of actresses, inserted in packs of Virginia Brights Cigarettes. The image, a photograph, would have been reproduced on a mass scale using industrial printing techniques. The card itself isn't trying to be a work of art, but rather, a token of popular culture distributed to promote consumption. It is, in effect, a miniature advertisement that reflects the rise of both mass media and a celebrity culture. It prompts us to think about the conditions of labor at the time, from the factory workers producing the cigarettes and printing the cards to the performers whose images were so easily commodified. The card, small as it is, speaks volumes about the intertwining of commerce, culture, and identity. It is an intriguing artifact of its time, blurring the lines between art, advertising, and everyday life.