Anna Lewis, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1890

This card, from the Actresses series, presents Anna Lewis, and was manufactured around the turn of the century by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company. Printed on paper using photographic and lithographic processes, it’s a fascinating example of how image production became intertwined with commerce. Consider the material qualities: the thinness of the paper stock, the sepia tone lending a vintage feel. These aren't the precious materials of fine art, but rather the mass-produced components of everyday life. The processes involved – photography, printing – speak to the industrialization of image-making. This card wasn't crafted by a lone artist in a studio, but produced on a factory scale to promote tobacco consumption. The very act of collecting these cards became a popular pastime. Here, art becomes totally enmeshed with the logic of marketing and consumerism. It really makes you consider the social context in which images circulate, and how they shape our understanding of labor, value, and celebrity.