Mlle. Le Brun, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1890 - 1895

This small promotional card featuring Mlle. Le Brun comes from a series produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. around the turn of the century, when actresses and actors held a particular fascination in popular culture. These cards functioned as collectibles, inserted into packs of Duke Cigarettes to entice consumers. The figure of Mlle. Le Brun, like many actresses of the era, embodies a complicated negotiation of femininity and public persona. While her profession put her in the public eye, she is carefully styled in a way that conforms to conventional beauty standards. Her soft features and elaborate dress are designed to appeal, carefully navigating the line between spectacle and acceptability. Duke Cigarettes understood the power of image-making, appropriating the likenesses of women to sell their product. By distributing images like this one, the company shaped societal ideals and perpetuated the commodification of identity. This mass marketing says as much about the values of the time as it does about the individual depicted.