Lubra, Opera, 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
63.350.203.45.322
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the glittering world of 19th-century theater with *Lubra, Opera*, a captivating portrait from Allen & Ginter's Actors and Actresses series (45, Type 1), issued around 1888 to promote Virginia Brights Cig. This tiny albumen photograph, measuring just 2 3/4 x 1 3/8 inches, captures the poised elegance of Lubra, a female opera performer, her image rendered in the sharp, luminous detail characteristic of albumen prints—the dominant photographic process of the era, prized for its rich tones and fine grain. Produced by the innovative tobacco firm Allen & Ginter, these cards were pioneerin...
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...