[Actress balancing on ball while holding fan], from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1890 - 1895

This small card was created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. around the turn of the 20th century, and was printed using a photomechanical process on paper. It shows an actress balancing on a ball, part of a promotional series for Duke Cigarettes. The sepia tone gives the image an antique feel, reminding us of photography's early days. But consider the context: this wasn't fine art, but a collectible included with tobacco products. It's a fascinating example of how images were mass-produced and distributed, blurring the lines between art, advertising, and everyday life. The card represents the commodification of entertainment, reducing the actress to a product that could be collected and traded. This reveals much about the social and economic forces at play during this period, when even artistic expression was deeply intertwined with commercial interests. The making of the card itself, a mass-produced image, reflects these dynamics. So, it is not just an image, but a small window into a much larger world.