From the Actresses and Celebrities series (N60, Type 1) promoting Little Beauties Cigarettes for Allen & Ginter brand tobacco products 1887

Editor: This is "From the Actresses and Celebrities series" by Allen & Ginter, dating to 1887. It’s an albumen print originally created as a promotional card for Little Beauties Cigarettes. There's something unsettling about seeing this elegant portrait used to sell tobacco. What does this image say about celebrity culture at the time? Curator: It's a fascinating artifact when you consider its original purpose and how it reflects the intersection of commerce, celebrity, and the societal pressures on women at the time. How do you think the association with "Little Beauties Cigarettes" impacted the perception of these actresses and celebrities? Editor: Well, I suppose it both elevated and objectified them. On the one hand, being featured suggests they were prominent figures. But it also reduces them to a consumable image, literally packaged with cigarettes. Curator: Precisely. These cards became a form of currency, circulating these women's images widely, but also associating them with a product that, even then, carried some health risks, especially for women. The phrase “little beauties” speaks to a particular idealized version of femininity. Considering this, who do you think the target demographic for these cigarettes were? Editor: Likely men, aspiring to an ideal or maybe just a moment of pleasure, associated with these women. Curator: And what does that say about the role of women in advertising and society at the time? It's a calculated association, framing smoking as glamorous. The card's existence relies on the commercial exploitation of celebrity. Think how that still resonates today. Editor: That’s really unsettling. I hadn't thought about the broader societal implications in that way. Curator: It forces us to consider how representations of women were commodified, distributed, and consumed. Understanding these images helps us critically analyze the construction of celebrity and gender throughout history.