Card Number 178, Dallie Burns, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-5) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 1880s American advertising with *Card Number 178,ie Burns*, a petite albumen photograph from the and Actresses series (N145-5). Issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to their Cameo Cigarettes, this trading card captures the allure of theater star Dallie Burns in a formal portrait. Measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 3/8 inches, these pocket-sized gems were tucked into cigarette packs, sparking a collecting craze among enthusiasts and turning everyday smokers into avid hobbyists. The albumen process, a hallmark of 19th-century photography, coated paper with egg whites sensitized to silver nitrate, yielding richly toned, detailed images ideal for mass reproduction. This ephemera exemplifies how tobacco companies leveraged celebrity culture—especially glamorous actresses—to glamorize their products during a booming era of print advertising and vaudeville fame. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department as part of The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this card highlights the intersection of commerce, photography, and popular entertainment. It offers a fascinating glimpse into Victorian-era fandom, where tiny portraits like Dallie's bridged the stage and the smoker's parlor.

About the Artist

W. Duke, Sons & Co. · 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...