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

This is a promotional image of an actress wearing a crown, produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to advertise Duke Cigarettes around the turn of the century. These cards reflect the rise of celebrity culture and mass media, yet they also illuminate aspects of gender and labor in this period. The actress, adorned with a crown and jewelry, embodies the feminine ideal popular at the time: poised, elegant, and demure. However, her image was primarily used to sell cigarettes, highlighting the complex relationship between women, representation, and consumer culture. The actress's identity is secondary to her role as a marketing tool, which raises questions about exploitation and agency within the entertainment industry. These cards, mass-produced and distributed, helped democratize images of beauty and success but also reinforced existing social hierarchies. Consider how advertising shapes our understanding of identity, and how the entertainment industry has historically used gendered images to promote products.