Lillian Elmore, from World's Beauties, Series 2 (N27) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

This small card, picturing Lillian Elmore, was made by Allen and Ginter Cigarettes, as part of a series featuring ‘World’s Beauties.’ It’s a lithograph, which is a printmaking process using a flat stone or metal plate. The image is carefully designed to appeal to consumers. Lillian is depicted with a refined elegance; the details of her hair, jewelry, and lace collar showcase high societal status. The print quality itself speaks to industrial advancement of the time. But let's consider the wider context. Cigarette cards were cheap to produce and included in cigarette packs as a marketing strategy. They were essentially a collectible incentive to promote sales. This connects the artwork directly to the rise of consumer culture, and reminds us that even images of beauty were, and are, commodities. By acknowledging the materials, making, and purpose of this card, we gain insight into the connections between art, industry, and society. It challenges the idea of ‘art for art’s sake,’ and encourages us to reflect on art’s role in a world of mass production and consumption.