Selina Delaro, from the Actresses and Celebrities series (N60, Type 2) promoting Little Beauties Cigarettes for Allen & Ginter brand tobacco products

Art Historical Context

In 1887, the pioneering tobacco company Allen & Ginter issued this petite albumen photograph as part of its Actresses and Celebrities seriesN60, Type 2), tucked into packs of Little Beauties Cig. Featuring stage actress Selina Delaro, card captures her poised elegance in a format designed collectors—measuring just 2 3/8 × 1 1/2 inches. These vibrant, mass-produced inserts were a clever marketing innovation, turning everyday purchases into treasures that fueled a burgeoning hobby. Albumen prints, made by coating paper with egg whites and silver salts, were the gold standard for sharp, detailed photography in the late 19th century, allowing affordable reproduction of celebrity portraits. Allen & Ginter's cards helped popularize trading card culture, blending portraiture with advertising amid the Gilded Age's fascination with theater stars and glamour. Selina Delaro, a noted performer of the era, embodies the allure of vaudeville and dramatic arts that captivated Victorian audiences. Today, preserved in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection—a treasure trove of ephemera—this card offers a window into how commerce and celebrity intertwined, reminding us of advertising's artistic roots.

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...