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

This card, dating from the late 19th century, shows actress Belle Martin and was made by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as a promotional item for their Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. It is a printed card, likely mass-produced using photomechanical techniques. The photograph itself is mounted on card stock, giving it a sense of material presence, despite its small size. What is interesting here is how photography and celebrity culture have been harnessed to the engine of consumer capitalism. The image becomes a desirable commodity, bundled with another, cigarettes, to increase sales. Consider the social context of this object. On the one hand, the craft of photography, and of printing, has been industrialized. On the other, we see the rise of celebrity culture, where an actress like Belle Martin becomes a valuable asset in the marketplace.