Alex Martins, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the glittering world late 19th-century with this petite albumen of actress Alex Martins, of Allen & Ginter *Actors and Actresses series (N45, 1) for Virginias Cigarettes, circa1888. Measuring just2 3/4 1 3/ inches, this profile portrait the poised elegance of a star, her features rendered in sharp detail typical of albumen prints—a popular photographic process using egg-white-coated paper to produce rich tones and fine clarity from glass negatives. Produced by the tobacco firm Allen & G, these cards were tucked into cigarette packs as clever marketing ploys, sparking a collecting craze among Americans and laying groundwork for modern trading cards like early baseball issues. They reflect the era's obsession with celebrity actresses, whose profiles symbolized glamour amid Victorian social norms, blending commerce, photography, and popular culture. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department from The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this ephemera gem offers a window into how everyday indulgences packaged stardom, preserving a slice of Gilded Age entertainment history.

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...