Card Number 359, Martonet, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-7) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

This small card was made by W. Duke, Sons & Co. around the turn of the 20th century, as a promotional item tucked into packs of Duke Cigarettes. Printed using photolithography, a relatively new process at the time, it depicts a performer named Martonet. The image itself is pretty straightforward, but it’s the card’s nature as a mass-produced object that I find interesting. Think about the scale of cigarette production at this time, and the number of these cards that would have been printed – each one a tiny advertisement for the Duke brand. The company was one of the first to use automated cigarette-making machines, a technology that transformed the industry and shaped the habits of mass consumption that define our world today. Consider how photolithography also played a role. It allowed images to be reproduced quickly and cheaply, playing a crucial role in shaping visual culture, and in getting the likenesses of performers like Martonet out into the world. So, while this may seem like just a simple card, it's actually a fascinating little artifact that embodies the industrialized processes of its time.