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

This card, featuring Mlle. Basco, was made by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as part of a series to promote Duke Cigarettes. It’s a mass-produced object, printed on a small piece of card stock. The photographic image is muted, almost sepia-toned, which speaks to the industrial processes of the late 19th century. While photography was becoming more commonplace, its integration with advertising novelties like this one reveals much about the era’s culture of consumption. It was a time when branding began to permeate everyday life, and it also hints at the labor involved; from the cultivation of tobacco to the printing and distribution of these cards. The card itself isn’t just an image; it’s a token, a collectible embedded in a larger system of production and promotion. These were never intended as high art, but they are revealing artifacts of a time when the lines between commerce and culture were becoming increasingly blurred. They remind us of the skilled labor behind the scenes, and how objects like this one gained significance beyond their immediate use.