Grace Wallace, 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
63.350.220.245.1908
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, companies like Kinney Brothers innovative advertising through collectible cigarette cards, transforming everyday packs of Sweet Caporal Cigarettes treasure troves for enthusiasts. This petite albumen photograph, *Grace Wallace, from theresses series (N245, issued in 1890, captures the allure of vaudeville star Grace Wallace in a poised portrait. Measuring just 2½ × 1⅞ inches, these cards were designed to be tucked into cigarette packages, enticing smokers—primarily men—with glamorous images of actresses, fostering a booming collecting craze. The albumen process, a ha...
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...