Lydia Thompson, 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
63.350.203.45.555
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the glittering world of 19th theater with this petite albumen photograph of Lydia Thompson, a star of the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) issued by Allen & Ginter around 1888. Produced as a collectible insert for Virginia Brights Cigarettes this tiny card—measuring just 2¾ x 1⅜ inches—captures the celebrated British burlesque performer in a formal portrait, her poised elegance emblematic of the era's stage icons. Allen & Ginter, pioneering tobacco marketers, revolutionized advertising by embedding these ephemera in cigarette packs, sparking a collecting craze among enthusi...
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...