Annie Deacon, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes
ca. 1888
Medium
Albumen photograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 3/4 x 1 3/8 in. (7 x 3.5 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
63.350.203.45.151
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American ephemera with *Annie Deacon, from the Actors and Actresses (N45, Type 1)*, issued by Allen & Ginter around 1888 to promote Virginia Brights Cig. This petite albumen photograph captures the celebrated actress Annie Deacon, likely posed with a trumpet, embodying the era's fascination with theater stars. Inserted into cigarette packs as collectible trade cards, these tiny treasures (just 2 3/4 x 1 3/8 inches) turned everyday smoking into a hobby, sparking a craze for album collecting among enthusiasts. Allen & Ginter, pioneering tobacco innova...
About the Artist
Allen & Ginter
Allen & Ginter, the pioneering American tobacco firm based in Richmond, Virginia, emerged around 1880 from the partnership of John F. Allen and Lewis Ginter, evolving from Allen's earlier John F. Allen & Company. Allen retired in 1882, succeeded by John Pope, yet the brand endured under Ginter's leadership, employing over 1,100 workers—mostly women—for hand-rolled cigarettes by 1886. Ginter, a Dut...