Alice Hood as Turkish Jewess, from the set Actors and Actresses, Second Series (N71) for Duke brand cigarettes

Art Historical Context

This charming chromolithograph, *Alice Hood as Turkish Jew*, is a tiny gem from the late 1880s, produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. in collaboration with Knapp & Company. Part of the "Actors andresses, Second Series" (N71) for Duke brand cigarettes, it just 2¾ x 1½ inches—perfectly sized as a collectible insert in cigarette packs. Actresses like Alice Hood were celebrated stars of the Victorian theater scene, often depicted in exotic costumes that evoked Orientalist fantasies popular in Western entertainment of the era. As a commercial color lithograph, the print showcases the vibrant, multi-layered technique of chromolithography, which allowed mass production of eye-catching images at low cost. This ephemera bridged advertising and art, enticing smokers (especially men) to collect full sets while glorifying female performers. Hood's portrayal in traditional attire highlights the era's blend of cultural appropriation and stage glamour, reflecting how theater cards immortalized performers for everyday audiences. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this card offers a window into Gilded Age consumer culture and the rising star power of women in the performing arts—a delightful slice of history in your pocket.

About the Artist

W. Duke, Sons & Co.|Knapp & Company · 1870–1920

**W. Duke, Sons & Co.: Pioneers of Chromolithographic Trade Card Art** W. Duke, Sons & Co., an American tobacco manufacturer, emerged from the entrepreneurial vision of Washington Duke (1820–1905) and his sons in Durham, North Carolina. After the Civil War, Washington abandoned farming in 1874 to join his eldest son, Brodie L. Duke, in the burgeoning tobacco trade, establishing a factory that for...