[Reclining actress with hands behind head], from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1890 - 1895

This albumen silver print, made in the United States around 1888 by W. Duke, Sons & Co., was originally a cigarette card. These cards were a late 19th-century marketing innovation. Inserted into cigarette packs, the cards encouraged repeat purchases while simultaneously offering a glimpse into popular culture. This card, part of the "Actors and Actresses" series, features a reclining actress in what we might call an orientalist pose. The actress and the exotic backdrop speak to the public's fascination with theatrical performance and distant lands. But how did tobacco companies choose which images to circulate? What were the social and cultural values that shaped the series? To answer such questions, the historian looks to sources outside the image itself – business records, advertising ephemera, and theatrical archives. These resources enable us to understand the image not just as a pretty picture, but as a reflection of a particular moment in American consumer culture.