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

This is a photograph of Mable Clark, from the Actors and Actresses series, made around the turn of the century by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes. It’s a humble card, and it speaks volumes about the relationship between labor, celebrity, and consumer culture. Photography as a medium was becoming increasingly industrialized, and as such, its products were easily integrated into mass marketing. The card is small, mass-produced, and sepia-toned, the result of cost-effective printing techniques. This brings an interesting contrast with the image: Mable Clark, in her delicate dress, is captured in a moment of performance, yet she is also an actor in the theater of capitalism. The material reality of this card makes it a potent artifact, capturing the cultural values of an era defined by mass production. It reminds us that the making of things and the making of meaning are never really separate.