Card Number 10, Pauline Hall, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

Editor: Here we have “Card Number 10, Pauline Hall,” created in the 1880s by W. Duke, Sons & Co. It was actually made to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes! It seems like a simple portrait at first glance, but it’s also... an advertisement? What’s the story here? Curator: Precisely! These cards were inserted into cigarette packs. Think about the social function of images like this; mass-produced, widely distributed, and intended to associate a product—cigarettes—with glamour, beauty, and celebrity. Editor: So it’s all about the image! Pauline Hall, I’m assuming a famous actress, becomes a symbol of sophistication that consumers can aspire to by purchasing Cross Cut Cigarettes? Curator: Absolutely. And consider the politics of representation here. Who gets to be memorialized and circulated in this way? And what kind of performance is she putting on for this specific audience? Is this simply marketing? Editor: It’s more calculated than I thought! The image flattens her, to be a simple commodity, rather than a reflection of her artistry. Is it meant to promote the Cigarettes, or the actress in question? Curator: Good question! It served both purposes but also promoted a certain lifestyle associated with smoking. Think of it as early brand building. How might her roles as an actress reinforce the themes of smoking being elegant? Editor: That's eye-opening. It's easy to look at these historical images aesthetically but recognizing the advertisement and commodification shifts everything. Thanks for that perspective! Curator: And thanks to you for reminding us to consider the economic and social structures behind what appears to be just a pretty picture.