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

This is a promotional cigarette card from the "Actors and Actresses" series, produced by Allen & Ginter, sometime in the late 19th century. In that period, the burgeoning tobacco industry used such cards to stiffen their packaging, and entice customers. But consider the image itself. Annie Robe, a stage actress, is presented here. We are drawn to her beauty, which is a product of its time. This card participated in a culture of celebrity that was emerging alongside new forms of mass media. As photography became more accessible, images of performers began to circulate widely, shaping public perceptions of beauty, talent, and fame. The actress's image is being used to sell cigarettes, which tells us something about the social values of the time, and about how images can be manipulated. To understand this image better, one might research popular theater of the period, the history of advertising, or the biography of Annie Robe herself. Only then can we fully understand the social, cultural, and institutional contexts that shaped its production and reception.