Mlle. Cicero, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1890 - 1895

Editor: Here we have a portrait of Mlle. Cicero from the Actors and Actresses series, dating from 1890 to 1895, produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. using albumen print photography. The soft sepia tones give it a lovely, delicate feel, but the fact that it was a cigarette card sort of undermines that elegance. What's your perspective on this? Curator: Well, the albumen print, as a process, is fascinating. Consider the labor involved: the egg whites used to coat the paper, the chemical baths, the specific knowledge needed. And it all ends up…on a cigarette card? Editor: Exactly! It feels so incongruous. Curator: But that tension is the point, isn't it? The mass production of these images speaks volumes about late 19th-century consumer culture. Tobacco companies were essentially using "high art" techniques to promote their products. How does that juxtaposition resonate with you? Editor: I suppose it highlights how art became another commodity. Something accessible, perhaps even disposable. Was there any commentary about it back then? Curator: Contemporary critics certainly had opinions about the blurring lines between art, commerce, and popular culture. Consider the implications on the status of artists and performers when their images became widely available on items of mass consumption. This democratized fame in some ways but also trivialized it, don't you think? Editor: Definitely. Seeing it from this angle, it does offer a compelling snapshot of the era. Thank you. Curator: It reveals the complex relationships between production, consumption, and cultural value. A humble cigarette card tells a much larger story.