M'lle Annie Robe, 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
63.350.203.45.485
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century celebrity culture with *M'lle Annie Robe*, a charming albumen photograph from Allen & Ginter's *Actors and Actresses* (N45, Type 1), issued around 8 to promote Virginia Brights Cig. This petite card, measuring just 2 3/4 x 1 3/8 inches, captures the poised elegance of the actress—Mademoiselle Annie Robe—in a format designed for collectors. Albumen prints, made by coating paper with egg whites and silver salts, were the gold standard for photography at the time, delivering rich tones and fine detail perfect for mass reproduction. Produced by the pion...
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...