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

Curator: The warm sepia tones give this photograph a lovely vintage feel. Editor: Indeed. This albumen print, part of the "Actors and Actresses" series produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. between 1890 and 1895, features Laura Wood. The image was actually included as a promotional insert in Duke Cigarettes. Curator: Can you imagine finding this delicate portrait amidst your tobacco? There is such an interesting dichotomy: smoke and fleeting pleasures versus a somewhat lasting memento. This makes me wonder about the relationship between art and commercialism. Editor: Precisely! These trade cards were incredibly popular and circulated widely. This portrait isn't just a pretty picture; it represents the rise of celebrity culture and how industries used it to sell products, creating very gendered roles and the objectification of beauty, even as photography opened avenues for representation. Curator: There is a simple beauty to Wood's presentation: her gaze, though direct, carries a hint of shyness. And there is such warmth within this color; sepia has an interesting affect in photographs—like a kiss of the past. Editor: Agreed. She's been styled for mass consumption. The proliferation of images like these also normalized a very specific standard of white, feminine beauty, reinforcing structures that simultaneously promoted and confined women. And because it was distributed in cigarette packs, you also have the cultural complexities surrounding tobacco and addiction at that time, primarily marketed toward white male audiences. Curator: I see her photograph existing in a fascinating space—a small token of beauty existing inside something so controversial and unhealthy. The past certainly creates odd juxtapositions for consideration. Editor: Absolutely. Examining these images is a journey through advertising history, cultural norms, and the intricate, often contradictory, relationship between art, commerce, and society. It also serves as a somber reminder that representation is always shaped by power dynamics.