M'lle de Sortes, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 6) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes
ca. 1888
Medium
Albumen photograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 15/16 x 1 11/16 in. (7.4 x 4.3 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
63.350.203.45.1117
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century celebrity culture with *M'lle de Sortes, from the Actors and Actresses series (45, Type 6) for Virginia Brights Cig*, produced by the pioneering tobacco firm Allen & G around 1888. petite albumen photograph, measuring just 2 15/16 x 1 11/16 inches, captures poised elegance of the French actress Mademoiselle de Sortes, a of the stage whose likeness helped fuel the era's theater mania. Issued as collectible inserts in cigarette packs, these cards transformed smoking into a gateway for hobbyists, blending commerce with popular entertainment. Allen & Gi...
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...