Card Number 736, Miss Cody, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-3) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This small card was produced by W. Duke Sons & Co. around the turn of the century as a promotional item for Cross Cut Cigarettes. It belongs to a series of images of actors and actresses. Such cards remind us of the close relationship between commerce and culture. In this case, the manufacturers of tobacco products used popular entertainment as a marketing tool. Miss Cody is shown as an attractive figure, glancing towards the viewer while holding a small mirror, perhaps suggesting her own awareness of her public image. The card’s inscription makes a direct link between the actress and the advertised product, implying that Cross Cut Cigarettes are as desirable as she is. To understand this image better, we might consider the social role of actresses at the time, the rise of consumer culture, and the history of advertising. It's the job of the historian to piece together the broader picture, using archives and other sources to understand the relationship between art, commerce, and society.