Card Number 338, Annie Burks, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-3) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

Editor: So, this is "Card Number 338, Annie Burks," an advertisement for Cross Cut Cigarettes from the 1880s by W. Duke, Sons & Co. It's a print, likely from a photograph. The actress Annie Burks is playfully peering through a large hoop. What strikes me is the unusual composition for an advertisement. What do you make of it? Curator: It's fascinating, isn’t it? We often overlook these small, mass-produced images, but they offer a glimpse into the social fabric of the time. Think about it – this wasn't just about selling cigarettes. It was about associating the product with glamour, celebrity, and the burgeoning entertainment industry. Editor: So, the cigarette company is leveraging Annie Burks' fame? Curator: Exactly! Consider the context: Cigarette cards became incredibly popular as collectibles, offering miniature portraits of actresses, athletes, and other figures. These cards democratized access to imagery, creating a sense of intimacy with celebrities for a broad public. Before mass media, this was huge! Editor: It’s almost like a proto-Instagram! What does this say about women in the public sphere back then? Curator: Well, these images often walked a fine line. While offering women visibility, they also contributed to the objectification of female performers, packaging them as desirable commodities. What do you think the choice of framing her in a circle means? Is she offering herself to you in this framed shape or is she trying to break free? Editor: That’s a great point. I never really thought of it that way. I guess these cards were doing more than just selling cigarettes, shaping perceptions about gender and fame too. Curator: Precisely. These seemingly simple advertisements were powerful cultural artifacts that were spreading a particular idea through visual mediums, ideas that are still resonating today.