Card Number 333, Sarah Bunyan, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-3) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Card Number 333, Bunyan*, from the and Actresses series (N145-3), issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to their Cross Cut Cigarettes in the 1880s. This petite albumen photograph, measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 3/8 inches, captures the poised likeness of actress Sarah Bunyan one of many celebrated performers featured in these collectible trade cards. Tucked into cigarette packs, enticed smokers to amass full sets, blending celebrity allure with clever marketing. Albumen prints, the era's gold standard for photography, used egg whites to create sharp, glossy images on paper, making these tiny portraits surprisingly detailed and luminous. Produced by the powerhouse Duke tobacco firm—pioneers in mass-market cigarettes—these cards exemplify ephemera: everyday items that reveal cultural snapshots. Actresses like Bunyan embodied the rising star power of women on stage, their images fueling a burgeoning fan culture amid America's Gilded Age. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this card highlights how commerce and entertainment intertwined, turning disposable promotions into treasured artifacts. A delightful glimpse into Victorian-era fandom!

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...