Card Number 107, Vaughan, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

Card Number 107, Vaughan, by W. Duke, Sons & Co., is a small-scale promotional card featuring an actress, printed to advertise Cross Cut Cigarettes. The sepia-toned card presents an actress seated on a table, a composition that invites a sense of casual intimacy. The actress's pose, with her leg extended and a brush in hand, disrupts conventional portraiture. It prompts us to consider how such images functioned within the nascent culture of celebrity and consumerism. The text "Cross Cut Cigarettes" is emblazoned at the top, juxtaposing the allure of the actress with the product. This merging of advertising with portraiture creates a semiotic system in which the actress becomes a signifier for the cigarette brand, imbuing it with qualities of glamour and sophistication. Note how the actress’s gaze is directed slightly off-center, not fully engaging with the viewer. This technique subtly challenges fixed meanings, inviting consumers to project their desires onto the image and, by extension, the product. It underscores the constructed nature of desire within consumer culture.