Card Number 145, Ida Moore, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-5) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes 1880s

This is a promotional card for Cameo Cigarettes, created around the turn of the 20th century by W. Duke, Sons & Co., featuring actress Ida Moore. The sepia tone lends a nostalgic air, typical of the era, while the composition arranges Ida amidst a tableau of artifice. Consider the photograph's structure: Ida's figure, poised mid-action, is bracketed by the formal elements of a classical statue to the left and an ornate patterned screen behind. The diagonal line of her extended arm leads the eye from the statue towards the feathered fan, creating a dynamic tension within the confined space. The interplay of textures – the smooth stone, soft fabric, and geometric patterns – hints at a complex interplay between surface and depth, reality and representation. This image destabilizes clear distinctions between the actress, the art object, and the commodity. What does it mean to consume cigarettes and, by extension, the image of a celebrated actress? It’s a cultural code that reflects broader shifts in society, where celebrity, consumption, and visual culture were becoming increasingly intertwined.