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

This small card showing Miss Anone was one of a series of actresses printed by the cigarette manufacturer, William S. Kimball & Company. These cards are made through industrial processes: photography, printing, and mass distribution. The sepia tone of the card gives it a sense of nostalgia, while the image itself is a carefully crafted representation of beauty and fame. But the material reality is that this card was produced in vast quantities, inserted into cigarette packs to entice consumers. The relatively low cost and the use of printing processes meant that these images could reach a wide audience, blurring the boundaries between celebrity culture, consumerism, and everyday life. Consider the labor involved in producing these cards on a mass scale, from the photographers and printers to the factory workers who packaged them with cigarettes. By paying attention to the industrial context of this image, we can better understand the complex relationship between art, commerce, and society in the late 19th century.