Theodora de Gilbert, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This small card portraying actress Theodora de Gilbert was produced by Allen & Ginter, as part of a series for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. It's made of paper, printed with a photographic image by means of a photomechanical process. This kind of ephemera was an essential part of the burgeoning consumer culture of the late 19th century. The rise of industrial printing made possible the mass production of images, and tobacco companies were among the first to seize on the opportunity. These cards were collected and traded, like baseball cards today, creating a direct link between the world of entertainment and the everyday habit of smoking. Note how the image itself is carefully posed, meant to evoke a classical ideal, even as it's being used to sell a thoroughly modern product. The very act of collecting these cards, and perhaps even the act of smoking itself, became a way to participate in a wider world of celebrity and consumption. This piece is a reminder that even the humblest objects can tell us a great deal about the culture that produced them.