Capstan, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 4) issued by Kinney Bros. 1889

This is "Capstan," a trade card from the Novelties series, created by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company. These cards were ubiquitous in the late 19th century, slipped into cigarette packs as collectibles and advertisements. This card, like others in the series, uses a die-cut shape to frame an image, here of a young woman. The shape resembles a capstan, a nautical device, but the woman's fashionable attire, including a Scottish-style hat, doesn't align with the maritime theme. The Kinney Brothers' cards offered idealized visions of femininity, reflecting and shaping societal expectations of women during the Victorian era. These images reinforced particular standards of beauty, and the collectible nature of these cards encouraged consumers to participate in these cultural constructions. The mass production of these cards speaks to the rise of consumer culture and the ways in which identity became increasingly tied to commodity consumption.