Miss Dana, from the Actresses series (N203) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

This photograph of Miss Dana was produced by the Wm. S. Kimball & Company as part of a series of actress portraits, printed on cards included in cigarette packs. These albumen prints, made on paper coated with egg white, were an inexpensive method of mass-producing images. The sepia tone and soft focus gives the photograph a romantic quality, but let's not forget the context: these cards were commercial products, churned out by the thousands to promote the consumption of tobacco. The actresses featured, including Miss Dana, were performers commodified for mass consumption, much like the cigarettes themselves. The photographic process allowed for the mass production and distribution of images, contributing to the rise of celebrity culture and consumerism. Considering the social implications of how photography democratized image making, we begin to understand its ties to labor, politics, and the consumer culture of the era. This little card then becomes a window onto larger histories of art, craft, and society.