Card Number 241, Primrose, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This is Card Number 241, Primrose, a promotional cigarette card created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. in the late 19th century. These cards, which were immensely popular, offer a glimpse into the social and cultural values of the time. The image presents an actress, Primrose, in costume, likely referencing a theatrical role. The fact that tobacco companies used actresses to promote their products reveals much about the cultural associations between consumption, performance, and celebrity in that era. Consider the politics of imagery that made actresses such powerful figures of endorsement. The photograph, with its soft focus and staged setting, aligns with the aesthetic conventions of commercial portraiture at the time. To fully understand the image’s significance, one must delve into the history of advertising, tobacco consumption, and popular entertainment of the period. Examining census records, theatre programs, and advertising archives can further illuminate the social conditions that shaped its production and reception. Art, as this card suggests, is always embedded in complex social and institutional networks.