Seated actress wearing cap, 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
63.350.220.245.2042
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 1890s advertising with *Seated actress wearing cap*, a charming albumen photograph from Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company's Actresses series (N245 Issued to promote their popular Sweet Caporal Cigarettes, this card—measuring just 2½ × 1⅞ inches—captures a poised actress in profile, her cap adding a touch of theatrical flair. These ephemera were collectible inserts tucked into cigarette packs, sparking a craze among enthusiasts who traded them like modern trading cards. Printed using the albumen process, a hallmark of 19th-century photography, the image boasts cris...
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...