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

This is a carte-de-visite, made by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company, likely in the 1880s. These small photographs, printed using albumen on paper, were wildly popular and inexpensive, a perfect way to promote their Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. The real subject of the image isn't Miss Lea, but the process of image-making itself. The thin paper support is critical; it allowed for mass production and distribution. Consider the labor involved: from the photographers and printers to the factory workers who assembled the cigarette packs, and the consumers who fueled the demand. The image is a window into the era’s culture of celebrity, advertising, and leisure. These photographs helped democratize image production, connecting high culture to the everyday lives of ordinary people. It reminds us that even the most seemingly disposable objects can tell us volumes about the society that produced them.