From the Girls and Children series (N64) promoting Virginia Brights Cigarettes for Allen & Ginter brand tobacco products 1886

This small chromolithograph was produced in the United States by Allen & Ginter to promote Virginia Brights Cigarettes. It’s part of a series that used images of girls and children to sell tobacco products. The image draws on visual codes of European aristocratic life in the 18th century. The children are dressed in period costume, in a scene alluding to courtship. But what does this have to do with cigarettes? The implicit message is that smoking Virginia Brights is a refined, cultured, and sophisticated habit. It also suggests that smoking is harmless. After all, what could be wrong with something enjoyed by children? Commercial ephemera like this are revealing historical documents. They show us how social values are manufactured, and how marketing strategies can normalize harmful behaviors. To understand this image, we need to research the history of tobacco advertising and the social history of smoking. Only then can we appreciate how this small card reflects a complex set of cultural and economic forces.