Adelina Patti, from World's Beauties, Series 1 (N26) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

This portrait of the opera singer Adelina Patti was produced by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes, most likely in the late 19th century. It's a chromolithograph, meaning that it was made using multiple printing stones, one for each color. Now, you might ask, what does opera have to do with tobacco? Well, Allen & Ginter sought to associate their product with sophistication, culture, and celebrity. The paper stock is thin, and the printing relatively coarse, but the image is nonetheless striking. The very act of mass-producing and distributing these cards is telling of a culture undergoing rapid industrialization. Objects like this speak volumes about the society that made them, where even the humblest ephemera were designed to appeal to a mass market, and to promote specific values and aspirations. So next time you see a small, mass-produced item like this, remember that it’s not just a pretty picture. It's a window into a world of production, consumption, and cultural meaning.