Card Number 389, Miss Gattan, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-3) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

Card Number 389, Miss Gattan, is a promotional advertisement issued by Duke Sons & Co. around the turn of the century to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes. In this photograph, Miss Gattan, an actress, is shown in what appears to be her stage costume. What does it mean to see a woman’s body used to sell cigarettes? The commercial image is a complicated space, one in which turn-of-the-century ideals of beauty, gender, and class collide. The actress’s confident gaze and muscular physique challenge conventional representations of femininity. Yet, her body is commodified. The image reduces her identity to a mere symbol of consumerism. It prompts us to consider the social and economic pressures faced by women in the entertainment industry. It encapsulates the negotiation between agency and objectification. This card encourages us to reflect on the historical objectification of women and how it intersects with advertising and performance. It asks us to consider the price of visibility.