Card Number 98, Ada Richmond, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-4) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes 1880s

This is card number 98, Ada Richmond, from the Actors and Actresses series, printed around the turn of the century by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes. Ada Richmond is shown posing with a curious object—a human skull. The skull, a potent symbol, has traversed centuries, appearing in vanitas paintings as a memento mori, reminding us of life's fleeting nature. We see it clutched in Hamlet’s hands, evoking existential dread, and adorning the necks of goths, signifying rebellion. The meaning shifts, yet the skull persists as a signifier of mortality. Ada Richmond’s interaction with this symbol engages our subconscious, tapping into collective anxieties about death. The cigarette card, fleeting and ephemeral, juxtaposed with the eternal symbol of death. A curious dance of life, death, and fleeting fame, indeed.