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

This is a photograph of the Lobestinetti sisters, made in the United States around the turn of the century by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company. The sisters are pictured in what seems to be stage costumes for a theatrical production. The costumes reference ancient Greece or Rome, and are a fantastical, sexualized version of armor. These cards were collected and traded, and they speak to the increasing commercialization of leisure and entertainment at this time. Actresses and performers became some of the first celebrities, and their likenesses were used to sell everything from cigarettes to soap. The fact that this image was made by a tobacco company and not a fine art photographer tells us something important about the social role of images. These cards weren't intended to be high art, but rather a popular collectible that would encourage consumers to buy more cigarettes. By researching the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company and popular entertainment of the time, we can better understand the place of this image in its original social and economic context.