Ida Mulle, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 8) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This is a printed card featuring Ida Mulle from the Actors and Actresses series, created by Allen & Ginter as an advertisement for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. These cards were immensely popular at the time, reflecting a burgeoning celebrity culture and a growing fascination with the performing arts. Mulle, pictured in a modest yet suggestive pose, stands as a testament to the evolving role of women in the late 19th century. She gazes upward, hands clasped in what could be prayer or anticipation, draped in fabric that hints at exoticism. This image would have circulated widely, blurring the lines between public persona and private identity. Cigarette cards placed women like Mulle into the pockets of men and served as a form of proto-social media. The mass production of such images marks a shift in how identity was consumed and commodified. It captures a moment in time when the concept of fame was being manufactured, consumed, and circulated, much like the cigarettes they advertised.