Card Number 140, Miss Cummings, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This is a trade card, a type of advertising collectible, from the 1880s. Issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote their Cross Cut Cigarettes, the card features a portrait of Miss Cummings, likely an actress or entertainer of the era. The card's design uses a simple, straightforward composition with a black and white portrait of the subject. "Cross Cut Cigarettes are the best" is printed at the top, highlighting the product. The image is part of the "Actors and Actresses series" and is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The card's small size and detailed portrait of the subject make it an intriguing piece of American social history.