Card Number 70, Louise Pauline, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-4) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes by W. Duke, Sons & Co.

Card Number 70, Louise Pauline, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-4) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes 1880s

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Artwork details

Medium
drawing, print
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 11/16 × 1 3/8 in. (6.8 × 3.5 cm)
Location
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Copyright
Public Domain

Tags

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portrait

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drawing

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aged paper

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photo restoration

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print

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charcoal drawing

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film poster

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charcoal art

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historical photography

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portrait reference

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old-timey

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19th century

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men

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golden font

About this artwork

This is Card Number 70, Louise Pauline, from the Actors and Actresses series, created by W. Duke, Sons & Co., part of a set issued to promote Cameo Cigarettes. The monochromatic palette focuses attention on the texture and form within this small rectangle. Notice how the soft focus renders Louise Pauline’s features with a gentle, almost ethereal quality, characteristic of photographic portraiture of the period. The composition, dominated by her face and upper body, is carefully arranged. The dark dress creates a stark contrast against her fair skin, drawing the eye upwards. The lace and floral arrangement soften this contrast, adding visual interest. This card functions as both an aesthetic object and a promotional tool. It engages with the semiotic system where beauty, celebrity, and consumerism intersect. The card presents an actress as a desirable figure and the cigarette brand with sophistication and glamour. The interplay between the actress's image and the product promotes a lifestyle of leisure and aspiration. This tension embodies the complexities inherent in the commodification of art.

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