Card 49, from the Girl Cyclists series (N49) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1887

Editor: Here we have "Card 49, from the Girl Cyclists series (N49) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes," created by Allen & Ginter in 1887. It's a lithograph, a type of print, and the subject matter really gives off this "sporty" kind of vibe. What catches your attention in this piece? Curator: The immediate thing that stands out is that this is, at its core, advertisement. To consider it merely ‘art’ overlooks the labour and material conditions of its production. We should be looking at the convergence of industry, leisure, and consumer culture in the late 19th century. Notice the use of lithography – a relatively inexpensive printing method – and photography for mass production. Editor: I hadn't really considered the print *itself* as significant, only what it was showing. So the cheap printing process is relevant? Curator: Absolutely. Think about the material reality: this card wasn't intended for a museum, but rather as a collectable incentive within a packet of cigarettes. It promoted both the cigarettes and an image of modern, active womanhood which can be linked to evolving societal norms regarding gender roles and the bicycle craze that swept across America and Europe in the late nineteenth century. Who would purchase such cigarettes and what meanings may it produce and reinforce? Editor: So, this lithograph, because of its material nature and place in commerce, reflects these big changes happening at the time regarding the social meaning around women? It's like a document. Curator: Exactly! The materiality is inextricable from its cultural context. This seemingly simple image reveals complex relationships between labor, consumerism, and evolving social norms. Editor: I guess I was stuck on thinking about art in a vacuum, without looking at *how* it was made, or what its actual purpose was beyond just being an image. This perspective gives me so much more to consider. Curator: Precisely! Material considerations allow for rich and dynamic understandings.