Portrait of actress facing left, from the Transparencies series (N137) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1884 - 1890

This lithograph was issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. around the turn of the century as a promotional item for Honest Long Cut Tobacco. The actress, rendered in soft hues, is set against a dark, almost brooding background that throws her delicate features into sharp relief. The curvature of her neck and the elaborate styling of her hair create a play of line and form, bounded by a decorative border. This careful arrangement evokes a sense of classical portraiture, yet the image is undeniably modern. The lithographic process flattens the image, reducing depth and emphasizing surface, which reflects a shift in artistic values toward prioritizing the two-dimensional plane. The portrait flattens pictorial space by abandoning traditional perspective, engaging with a more abstract visual language. This interest in surface over depth is characteristic of modern art's departure from illusionism, inviting us to question the very nature of representation. How does this emphasis on flatness and surface challenge our conventional understanding of portraiture, and what does it reveal about the changing values of art and representation in a rapidly modernizing world?