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

This photograph of Cora Tanner comes from a series of actresses, made by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. The image itself is a mass-produced albumen print, a process that involves coating paper with egg whites to create a glossy surface for the photographic emulsion. This technique, along with industrial printing methods, allowed for inexpensive reproduction, turning the photograph into a collectible commodity included with cigarette packs. The material and process speak to a culture of celebrity and consumption, where images of performers like Cora Tanner were circulated widely, blurring the lines between art, advertising, and popular culture. It is important to recognize how these apparently ephemeral items reflect significant shifts in labor, class, and the burgeoning consumer society of the late 19th century.