Card Number 364, Jennie Walpole, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-3) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This card, number 364 in a series issued by Duke Sons & Co., presents Jennie Walpole against a blurred landscape. The sepia tone flattens the image, emphasizing the graphic quality and the figure’s posed stance. Consider how the composition is divided: Walpole's body dominates the frame, nearly bisecting the card vertically. The curve of her raised leg and the averted gaze create a sense of movement, yet she remains rigidly confined within the card’s dimensions. The text below, advertising "Cross-Cut Cigarettes," anchors the image to its commercial function, but also introduces a layer of semiotic complexity. The card is not merely a portrait; it's a carefully constructed image that uses Walpole’s form to sell a product. The formal elements—the tonal range, the figure’s placement, the text—converge to create a layered message about desire, representation, and the commodification of the human form. This interplay suggests the complex cultural codes at play during the late 19th century, where advertising blurred the lines between art, commerce, and the construction of identity.