Atropos, One of the Three Destinies, Death, from the Goddesses of the Greeks and Romans series (N188) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

This small chromolithograph was made by the Wm. S. Kimball & Co., as part of a series of cigarette cards. These cards, printed on thin paper, were made using a process known as chromolithography, a method involving multiple stones, each bearing a different color. In this image, the goddess Atropos appears, holding shears about to cut the thread of life. The act of cutting, a gesture of finality, is rendered with careful detail. The thinness of the paper is important here: these were ephemeral objects meant to be collected and traded, like baseball cards. The mass production of these cards reflects the rise of consumer culture and the use of images to promote products like cigarettes. Labor was divided, with artists, engravers, and printers working in concert to create these small, yet culturally significant, objects. They blur the lines between art, advertising, and everyday life, reminding us of the social and economic forces that shape our visual world.