Lilie Sinclair, 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
63.350.220.245.1683
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 1890s advertising with *Lilie Sinclair, from the Actresses series (N245)*, a petite albumen photograph issued by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company promote their Sweet Caporal Cigarettes This tiny card, measuring just 2½ × 1⅜ inches, captures the poised elegance of actress Lilie Sinclair one of many celebrated performers featured in the series. Produced as collectible trading cards inserted into cigarette packs, these ephemera items turned everyday smokers into avid collectors, blending portraiture with bold commercial promotion. The albumen process, a hallmark...
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...