Mlle. Pelisola, Paris, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Editor: So, this is "Mlle. Pelisola, Paris" from the Actors and Actresses series, it's from between 1885 and 1891, by Allen & Ginter. It’s…sepia toned. Looks like it's photography reproduced as a print, part of an advertisement. I'm curious about why ballet dancers were used to sell cigarettes? Curator: The key is understanding this object not as high art, but as a mass-produced commodity. Consider the economic context: cigarette cards like these were inserted into packs of Virginia Brights cigarettes. They were a marketing tool, part of a larger system of consumption and visual culture. The production of the image itself relies on both photography and printing technologies, but the *image*– that's pure spectacle, selling fantasy. It relies on both technology, the labor of the performers, and those consuming this culture. Editor: So it's less about appreciating artistic skill, and more about understanding production and marketing strategies? I'd always considered cigarette cards throwaway ephemera. Curator: Exactly! These cards, including this image of Mlle. Pelisola, were produced *en masse*. We should investigate the labor involved – from the tobacco workers, the photographers, and printers, to the ballet dancers themselves, performing for an audience who may then go on to buy cigarettes! Even the composition--consider its function as a collectible, the dimensions and paper quality dictate function, use, distribution, as part of everyday lives of that period's audience. Editor: That reframes everything! I’d been thinking about artistic intent and ballet, but it was capitalist machine at play. I am grateful for your guidance! Curator: These objects, these material artifacts, unlock stories that paintings sometimes obscure. Understanding their means of production is to recognize broader socioeconomic networks.