Bella, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This small card featuring "Bella" was produced by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes in the late 19th century in the United States. It belongs to a series that captured actors and actresses, reflecting the rising popularity of theatre and celebrity culture at the time. The card itself isn't just a portrait, it's a piece of commercial ephemera designed to be collected and traded. It’s a window into the era's fascination with public figures and the burgeoning advertising industry. We see Bella, likely a stage performer, in costume, her pose carefully constructed to be both alluring and respectable. The Virginia Brights company, by associating its product with images of beauty and success, hoped to elevate the status of its cigarettes. Cards like these helped create a culture of collecting. To truly understand this image, we might delve into archives of theatrical history, advertising, and the social history of collecting. The meaning of art is contingent on such contexts.