Jane Hading, Paris, 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
63.350.203.45.287
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of late 19th-century celebrity culture with this charming albumen photograph, *Jane Hading, Paris from Allen & Ginter's Actors and Actresses series (45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cig, circa 1888. by the innovative American tobacco company Allen & Ginter, this card (just 2 3/4 x 1 3/8 inches) captures the elegant French actress Jane Hading likely posed with her faithful dog, embodying the era's fascination with theatrical stars. These collectible cigarette cards were revolutionary marketing tools, inserted into cigarette packs to entice smokers and spark a collec...
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...