Inez Roe, 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
63.350.220.245.1555
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the glamorous world of1890s theater with *Inez Roe, from the Actresses series (245)*, a petite albumen photograph produced by the Kinney Brothers Company to promote their Sweet Caporal Cigarettes This tiny portrait (just 2½ × 1⅞ inches) captures the alluring presence of actress Inez Roe one of many celebrated performers featured in this popular series. Issued as collectible insert cards in cigarette packs, these ephemera items turned everyday tobacco products into coveted keepsakes, blending celebrity culture with innovative marketing. Albumen prints, the dominant photographic mediu...
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...