Card Number 60, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1) 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 60* from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1), a tiny gem produced by W. Duke, & Co. in the 1880s to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes. pocket-sized albumen photograph, measuring just 2½ × 1⅜ inches, captures a poised portrait of a female actress embodying the era's fascination with theater stars. Issued as collectible trading cards, thesehemera were tucked into cigarette packs, sparking a craze among enthusiasts who traded them like modern baseball cards. The albumen process, using egg whites to create a glossy, richly toned print, was the gold standard for photography in the Victorian age, allowing stunning detail in such a minuscule format. Duke Sons & Co., a pioneering tobacco firm, leveraged these cards to build brand loyalty amid fierce competition, blending celebrity culture with commerce. Actresses like the one depicted here symbolized glamour and social aspiration, their images democratizing stardom for everyday collectors. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department as part of the Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this card highlights how everyday promotions evolved into cultural artifacts, preserving a snapshot of Gilded Age entertainment and marketing ingenuity.

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...