Mlle. Goetz, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 8) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This card featuring Mlle. Goetz comes from a series of actors and actresses, issued by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. It's a small chromolithograph, a printing process that uses multiple lithographic stones to create a color image. The material itself—paper—and the methods of mass reproduction speak volumes. Chromolithography allowed for the widespread dissemination of images, fueling consumer culture. This card was essentially a freebie, a collectible inserted into cigarette packs to entice buyers, linking celebrity culture with mass consumption. Think about the labor involved: from the photographers and performers, to the printing workers churning out these cards by the thousands. It's a complex web of production, all geared towards selling more cigarettes. Objects like these remind us that even seemingly innocuous images are deeply embedded in systems of labor, politics, and consumption. So next time you light up, remember the hidden histories behind the packaging.