Card Number 240, Miss Fuller, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This is a trade card from the late 19th century, issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co., to promote their Cross Cut Cigarettes. The card features a portrait of actress Mollie Fuller, and is part of a larger series of cards featuring actors and actresses. The card is a striking example of the use of celebrity endorsements in advertising, a practice that continues to be popular today. The card's image is a photograph, a popular medium in the late 19th century for creating promotional materials. This example is from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.