Card Number 171, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This is Card Number 171, made by W. Duke, Sons & Co. around 1888, as part of a series to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes. It’s a printed card, a mass-produced object intended to be collected and traded. Think about the context: this card wasn't meant for a museum. It was a freebie, an inducement to purchase cigarettes, and would have been handled casually, collected, and traded. The image itself, of an actress, is suggestive of glamour and aspiration, but the card’s true purpose was to boost sales. Photography, here, becomes a tool of industry. The card is thin and light, made to be slipped into a cigarette packet. In its own way, this small card challenges the traditional art world, asking us to consider what we value, and why. It’s a reminder that art can be found in the most unexpected places, and that even the humblest materials can tell fascinating stories about labor, class, and consumption.