[Actress leaning against cloth backdrop], from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1890 - 1895

Editor: So, this is "[Actress leaning against cloth backdrop]" from around 1890-1895, by W. Duke, Sons & Co. It's from a series of cigarette cards! I’m really struck by how… intimate it feels for what’s essentially an advertisement. How do you interpret this work in its historical context? Curator: It's easy to forget now, but cigarette cards were a significant part of visual culture at the turn of the century. They were miniature billboards, inserted into cigarette packs to stiffen them, but also to advertise and create collectable series. Focusing on actors and actresses reveals a lot about the growing cult of celebrity. Who was considered worthy of such promotion? Editor: Right, it's about selling cigarettes by associating them with desirable figures. But was it that straightforward? Were there any power dynamics at play? Curator: Absolutely. The choice of actresses, their poses, even the distribution of the cards, all reflect and reinforce existing social hierarchies. Consider who *isn’t* represented. Which segments of society were excluded from this early form of mass media and why? The image here flirts with celebrity culture, but also participates in a larger network of visual power, determining who gets seen, valued, and remembered. It is not neutral. Editor: I hadn’t considered the omissions. This isn't just a picture of an actress; it’s a statement about what the company and society valued. What does it tell us that tobacco companies were such important visual culture producers? Curator: That is the critical question. They shaped our visual landscape. Their marketing was as crucial as that of any gallery or patron! Food for thought about what it means to engage critically with even the most ephemeral imagery from the past. Editor: Thanks, I never would have considered celebrity photography through a socioeconomic lens before. Curator: It is just another example of images mediating reality! It has been enlightening for me as well.