Card Number 40, Olga Brandon, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-4) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes 1880s

Card Number 40, Olga Brandon, from the Actors and Actresses series, was issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes. This card is made from thin paper stock, likely printed using photolithography, a technique that allowed for mass production of images. The card itself is a product of late 19th-century consumer culture. The image of Olga Brandon, an actress, is a marketing tool, designed to associate glamour and sophistication with the Cameo brand. The sepia tone, typical of early photography, gives the card a sense of nostalgia, even as it served a very contemporary purpose: selling cigarettes. The labor involved in the production of these cards is worth considering. From the photographers and printers to the factory workers who assembled the cigarette packs and inserted the cards, this was an industrial process through and through. By examining the materials and production of this seemingly simple card, we gain insight into the intersection of commerce, celebrity, and consumerism in the late 1800s. It reminds us that even the most ephemeral objects can reveal larger social and economic forces at play.