Card Number 114, Agnes Melnotte, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-4) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes 1880s

This is a promotional card of Agnes Melnotte, an actress, made around 1900 by W. Duke Sons & Co. as a free insert in their Cameo Cigarettes. These cards were part of a much larger phenomenon of promotional advertising that arose during the industrial era. Here, Melnotte, dressed in what we might now call a bathing costume, leans suggestively on a chair, offering herself to the viewer. It's an intriguing mix of allure and respectability, reflective of the Victorian era's complex relationship with the female body and its representation. The card’s design cleverly uses Melnotte's celebrity to promote Cameo Cigarettes, intertwining the worlds of entertainment, consumerism, and personal identity. The image is a window into the cultural values of its time, which we can further understand by looking into the history of advertising, popular entertainment, and the role of women in society.