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

This is a trade card depicting actress Mollie Powers, from the "Actors and Actresses" series produced by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. The card is a sepia-toned photograph depicting Powers seated in a three-quarter pose. The image is cropped close to her, showing her face, chest, and hands with the rest of her body obscured. The card was printed in 1885-1891 and is currently part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This type of artwork is known as "carte de visite," a small card format popular in the 19th century for circulating portraits.