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

This card, from the Actors and Actresses series, was made by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. These cards were chromolithographs, a form of color printing that allowed images to be reproduced in mass quantities, and collected as a series. The card itself is made from thin paper, and its surface is coated with a layer of ink, applied through lithography. The smooth, almost glossy texture gives the image a level of detail unusual for the time. Chromolithography involves creating a separate printing plate for each color, then layering the image on top of one another. The registration has to be precise, or the image is blurry and low quality. These cards were a canny marketing ploy: the manufacturers created collectable images, and the consumer bought more cigarettes in order to collect the whole set. The effect of the image is tied to wider issues of consumption, mass production, and the commercialization of fame. Examining these materials and processes helps us understand the social context that gave rise to this object.