Clara Thropp, 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
63.350.220.245.1806
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, American tobacco companies like Kinney revolutionized advertising with collectible cigarette cards, transforming everyday packs of Sweet Caporal Cigarettes treasure troves for enthusiasts. This petite albumen photograph, *Clara Thropp, from the Actresses seriesN245)*, issued in 1890, exemplifies the trend. Measuring just 2½ × 1⅞ inches, it captures the glamorous portrait of actress Clara Thro, one of dozens of performers featured in the series that celebrated theater stars as cultural icons. Albumen prints, a popular photographic process using egg whites to bind ligh...
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...