Mlle. Courvalet, Paris, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This card featuring Mlle. Courvalet, was made for Virginia Brights Cigarettes using photography and offset printing. These small cards were essentially trade ephemera, distributed to promote the brand and encourage repeat consumption. The process of mass image production enabled companies to disseminate cultural symbols far and wide, turning them into commodities. Think about it: a photograph of a Parisian performer, reproduced countless times, tucked into packs of cigarettes. Suddenly, art and entertainment are intimately linked to the marketplace. The card itself, made from inexpensive paper stock, speaks to the disposable nature of consumer culture. But it also hints at the immense labor involved in the tobacco and printing industries – from agricultural workers to machine operators – all contributing to this fleeting image. So, next time you see a seemingly insignificant piece of printed matter, consider the complex web of materials, processes, and social relations that brought it into being.