Clara St. Maur, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

In the late 19th century, American tobacco companies like Kinney Brothers innovative marketing by inserting collectible trading cards into cigarette packs. petite albumen photograph, *Clara St. Maur, from the Actresses seriesN245)*, issued in 1890 to promote Sweet Caporal Cig, exemplifies that trend. Measuring just 2½ × 1⅞ inches, it captures the glamorous portrait of actress Clara St Maur, one of many female performers celebrated in the series. These cards turned smoking into a gateway for culture fandom, blending celebrity worship with consumer allure during a time when actresses symbolized modernity and allure. Printed via the albumen process—a hallmark of 19th-century photography using egg-white-coated paper for sharp, luminous images—the card reflects both technical precision and ephemera artistry. Classified as a photograph and piece of ephemera, it highlights the era's fusion of photography, advertising, and collecting. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department as part of the Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, it preserves a snapshot of Gilded Age commerce and women's rising visibility in entertainment. Today, such cards offer a window into how everyday objects fueled cultural obsessions, reminding us of advertising's creative power long before digital influencers.

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...