Myra Parker, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This small card featuring Myra Parker was produced by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. It’s a mass-produced object, made through industrial processes of photography and printing. Consider the materiality of this card: thin paper stock, coated with a photosensitive emulsion. The photograph of the actress, most likely taken in a studio, has been translated into a series of tiny dots by a mechanical printing press. The image is sepia-toned, a direct result of the chemical development process used. These cards were originally included in cigarette packs as a marketing gimmick. Think about the social context: tobacco was big business, and the nascent advertising industry was keen to associate its products with glamour and celebrity. Labor practices also come into play; it's highly likely that the manufacturing of these cards involved low-wage workers performing repetitive tasks. This small card provides us with a rich understanding of the intersections between labor, industry, and consumption in the late 19th century. It prompts us to consider the social and economic forces that underpin seemingly simple images.