Card Number 542, Violet Cameron, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-7) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

This card featuring Violet Cameron comes from a series of promotional cards issued by Duke Sons & Co., around 1888, to advertise Duke Cigarettes. These cards, collected by consumers, offer a fascinating window into the cultural values of the Gilded Age. The image of Cameron presents a carefully constructed vision of idealized femininity. Note the way she is posed and the context in which the photograph was taken. Cameron’s beauty and talent are deployed to enhance the appeal of a commercial product. This speaks volumes about the commodification of culture and the intersections of entertainment, advertising, and consumerism in late 19th-century America. Further investigation, by consulting archives and theatre ephemera, can illuminate the careers of actresses like Violet Cameron. This will help us better understand the complex interplay between art, commerce, and society.