Mlle. Royer, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes
Medium
Albumen photograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 1/2 × 1 7/16 in. (6.4 × 3.7 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
63.350.220.245.1592
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 1890s advertising with *Mlle. Royer, from the Actresses seriesN245)*, a petite albumen photograph produced by the Kinney Brothers Company to promote their Sweet Caporal Cigarettes Measuring just 2 1/2 × 1 7/16 inches, this ephemera captures the alluring portrait of French actress Mlle. Roy, one of many celebrated performers featured in the series. Albumen prints, popular in the late 19th century for their sharp detail and warm tones derived from egg whites, made these cards both affordable collectibles and striking promotional tools. Cigarette cards like this on...
About the Artist
Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company · 1869–2011
**Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company (1869–2011)** Founded around 1869 by Francis Sherwood Kinney in New York City, the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company quickly rose to prominence in the burgeoning American cigarette industry. Francis, a pioneering tobacco manufacturer, experimented with hand-rolled cigarettes using blends of Turkish and Virginia tobacco, scaling to mass production by employing Europ...