Card Number 192, Alma Stanley, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This is Card Number 192, a promotional card for Cross Cut Cigarettes featuring actress Alma Stanley, created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. Here, the sepia tone creates a sense of nostalgia, typical of commercial imagery from this era. The composition directs our gaze from the product endorsement at the top to Stanley herself, reclining elegantly. Notice how the diagonal lines formed by her pose intersect with the vertical lines of the text, creating a subtle dynamism. The formal arrangement, however, serves a clear purpose: to associate the allure of the actress with the cigarette brand. The layering of visual elements—the actress, the text, the decorative floral and striped stocking details—creates a semiotic web. Stanley becomes a signifier of luxury and sophistication, qualities that the advertisement implicitly transfers to the cigarettes. But what does it mean to associate smoking with refinement? This card not only sells a product, but also perpetuates cultural values. The image thus becomes a site where commerce, culture, and representation intersect.