Bertha Waring, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the glamorous world of 1890s theater with *Bertha Waring, the Actresses series (245)*, a charming albumen photograph issued by the Kinney Brothers Company to promote their popular Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. This portrait (just 2 1/ × 1 7/16 inches) captures the poised elegance of actress Bertha Waring, one many celebrated performers featured in this collectible series. Tucked into cigarette packs as trading cards, these ephemera items turned everyday smokers into avid collectors, blending celebrity allure with clever marketing. Produced in 1890, the card reflects the Gilded Age's obsession with stage stars, who embodied modernity, beauty, and aspiration. Albumen prints, made by coating paper with egg whites and silver salts for sharp, luminous details, were the gold standard for affordable reproductions at the time, allowing mass production of such vivid portraits. Kinney Brothers' series tapped into the rising popularity of vaudeville and theater, where women like Waring shone as cultural icons—often more famous than the plays they starred in. Today, housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this tiny gem highlights how commerce and culture intertwined, transforming actresses into promotional muses and preserving a snapshot of Victorian-era fandom. A delightful reminder of ephemera's enduring charm!

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...