Card Number 42, Gertrude Gardner, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-4) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes 1880s

Editor: This is "Card Number 42, Gertrude Gardner" from the Actors and Actresses series made in the 1880s by Duke Sons & Co. It looks like an albumen print. I'm struck by how a photographic portrait could be used to sell cigarettes. What do you make of it? Curator: The collotype and albumen print processes themselves are key here. These photographic prints democratized image production. Duke Sons & Co. utilized those techniques to distribute portraits en masse within cigarette packs, a consumable product, thereby blurring the lines between high art and mass culture. Think about the implications for labor—what types of workers were producing these cards? Editor: That's fascinating! So, the value isn't just in the image itself, but in the entire production and consumption cycle. I never thought about how the means of production democratized image creation. Curator: Exactly. The material reality—the paper, the ink, the printing process—is inseparable from its social function as advertising. It makes you question who the real "artist" is, doesn’t it? Is it the photographer, or is it the corporation deploying images to cultivate a consumer base? How does that change your understanding of art historical narratives that glorify individual genius? Editor: It definitely challenges the traditional art world hierarchy. I am realizing that art history is often about materiality. Thanks for sharing this insight! Curator: And I think you’ve articulated nicely that, when considering images, particularly photographic prints, it's always important to remember their embeddedness within circuits of production and exchange.