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

This is Miss Willett, from the Actors and Actresses series, a trade card made by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. It's a small, mass-produced object, and it's a photograph, made via mechanical and chemical means. Now, the image itself is interesting. Miss Willett, presumably an actress, is shown holding a small dog, both dressed in furs. This card was one of many inserted into cigarette packs, acting as a kind of collectible incentive. It’s fascinating to consider this image, and others like it, as a product of industrial capitalism. The photographic process allowed for countless reproductions, fueling a culture of consumption and collectibility. Think about the labor involved in producing these cards – from the photographers and printers to the factory workers assembling the cigarette packs. These cards blur the boundaries between advertising, celebrity culture, and the everyday habits of consumption. They remind us that even seemingly innocuous objects can carry significant social and cultural weight.