Card 851, Lizzie Webster, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 2) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Editor: We’re looking at "Card 851, Lizzie Webster, from the Actors and Actresses series," an albumen print from between 1885 and 1891 by Allen & Ginter. It has a theatrical feel—almost dreamlike with its sepia tones. How do you interpret the role of celebrity in this piece? Curator: This card is less about the individual, Lizzie Webster, and more about the rise of celebrity culture and the commercialization of the image in the late 19th century. These cards were inserted into cigarette packs as a marketing strategy. Consider the Virginia Brights Cigarettes logo. Editor: So it’s using her image to sell cigarettes? Curator: Precisely. The "Actors and Actresses" series capitalized on the public's fascination with performers. These cards helped blur the lines between entertainment, commerce, and personal identity. Lizzie Webster becomes a commodity, her likeness reproduced and distributed widely. Do you think she had control over how she was portrayed? Editor: I doubt it. She’s presented almost as a brand ambassador. The elaborate costume she wears seems secondary to the branding itself. It’s striking to see how early this form of advertising started. Curator: Exactly! It’s a commentary on how public figures, even then, were molded and marketed. The medium, a photographic print, allowed for mass dissemination of carefully curated images. That’s powerful. Editor: I never thought about how even something seemingly small, like a cigarette card, could tell us so much about the commercialization of celebrity. Curator: And the public's appetite for it. It demonstrates that these cultural and commercial dynamics surrounding art and media figures have a surprisingly long history.