Card Number 203, Leicester, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This trade card, "Card Number 203, Leicester, from the Actors and Actresses series," was issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co., a tobacco company, in the 1880s to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes. The card depicts a woman in a theatrical costume, likely an actress from the era, which was a common marketing strategy for the cigarette brand. The image is a simple photograph, printed on a small card, typical of the era's ephemera. The Metropolitan Museum of Art houses this piece of social history, demonstrating the impact of the tobacco industry on popular culture in the late 19th century.