Evelyn Temple, 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
63.350.220.245.1787
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of late 19th-century advertising with *Evelyn Temple, from the Actresses series (N245)*, a tiny yet captivating albumen photograph produced by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company in 1890. This pocket-sized portrait (just 2½ × 1⅞ inches) was one of 50 cards issued to promote their popular Sweet Caporal Cigarettes, tucked into packs as collectible incentives. Evelyn Temple, a celebrated actress of the era, gazes confidently, embodying the allure of theater stars who captivated American audiences during the Gilded Age. Printed via the albumen process—photography's dom...
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...