Madge Lessing, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1890

This 1890 photograph by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company depicts Madge Lessing, an actress, posing for a Sweet Caporal cigarette advertisement. Part of the "Actresses" series, this trade card features Lessing in a theatrical costume with a large feathered headdress. The photograph is printed on a small card measuring 2 1/2 x 1 7/16 inches, typical of the era's cigarette card format. Today, this piece is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.