Mlle. Ferett, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Dixie 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
63.350.203.45.257
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the glittering world of 19th theater with *Mlle. Ferett, from the Actors and Act series (N45, 1) for Dixiearettes*, a petite albumen photograph produced by the pioneering tobacco firm Allen & Ginter 1888. This portrait captures the poised elegance of the French actress Mlle. Fer, one of many stage stars featured in the series. Allen & Ginter, innovators in marketing, inserted these cards into cigarette packs to entice collectors and boost sales, blending celebrity culture with emerging consumer advertising. Crafted as an albumen print—a glossy, detail-rich medium dominant from the 1...
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...