Amy Wells, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes
Medium
Albumen photograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 1/2 × 1 7/16 in. (6.4 × 3.7 cm)
Classification
Photographs|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick
Accession Number
63.350.220.245.1932
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, American tobacco companies like Kinney revolutionized advertising by inserting collectible trading cards into cigarette packs. This petite albumen photograph of actress Amy Wells, from theresses series (N245) promoting Sweet Caporal Cig, exemplifies that clever marketing tactic. Issued in1890, the card captures Wells in a poised portrait, celebrating the era's fascination with theater stars and glamorous women on stage. These ephemeral inserts turned smoking into a hobby for collectors, blending commerce with popular culture during the Gilded Age. The albumen printin...
About the Artist
Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company · 1869–2011
**Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company (1869–2011)** Founded around 1869 by Francis Sherwood Kinney in New York City, the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company quickly rose to prominence in the burgeoning American cigarette industry. Francis, a pioneering tobacco manufacturer, experimented with hand-rolled cigarettes using blends of Turkish and Virginia tobacco, scaling to mass production by employing Europ...