Plate 2, from the Fans of the Period series (N7) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1889

Plate 2, from the Fans of the Period series, was produced by Allen & Ginter, a cigarette company based in Richmond, Virginia. These cards, included in cigarette packs, reflect the aesthetics and social values of the late 19th century. The image depicts a young, white woman adorned in the fashion of the time. Her dress, hat, and the delicate fan she holds are symbols of femininity and bourgeois status. This imagery highlights the role of women in consumer culture, as they became both the subject and target of advertising. The fan itself is a complex object. Once used for cooling, it became a social tool, where a subtle change in gesture could have multiple coded meanings. However, the card is also a product of its time, one where tobacco was cultivated on plantations, in the South, which relied on the forced labor of enslaved people. The romanticized portrayal of women of the leisure class obscures the realities of labor exploitation and racial inequality that underpinned the American economy. The card serves as a reminder of the intertwined histories of consumerism, gender, and racial capitalism in the United States.