Card 419, Miss Greenville, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This calling card was produced by Allen & Ginter of Richmond, Virginia, as one of a series of promotional cards for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. Printed on thin card stock, it features a photographic portrait of Miss Greenville, an actress whose name and likeness were meant to add allure to the product. What's interesting here is the relationship between image and commodity, actress and consumer. Note the industrial processes involved: the mass printing of images, the tobacco cultivation and cigarette manufacture, and the labor required for all of it. This was a burgeoning consumer culture, where even fame could be bought and sold. The card itself embodies a tension between art and commerce. Photography, still a relatively new technology, here serves the purpose of brand identity and the social cachet for a mass-produced object. Ultimately, this card is an artifact of its time, reflecting the rise of advertising and the commodification of culture. It challenges us to consider the social and economic forces that shape not only our consumer choices, but also our understanding of art and value.