Card Number 33, Annie Leslie, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-4) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes 1880s

Curator: Isn’t this something? Card Number 33, featuring Annie Leslie, comes to us from an Actors and Actresses series produced by Duke Sons & Co. back in the 1880s to promote their Cameo Cigarettes. Editor: I adore her mischievous expression. It feels playful, almost defiant, poking fun at the performative roles women often inhabited. There is also a soft haze to the photography—what medium are we seeing? Curator: It is actually a lithograph, and I would say that's typical, considering the original was most probably a photograph reproduced for print. This makes it easier for mass production—and gives the whole design a wonderful, ephemeral aesthetic. These cards were slipped into cigarette packs, acting as miniature billboards. Editor: Fascinating! So, Annie Leslie becomes a symbol of the seductive, almost dangerous allure of cigarettes. The whole setting—the backdrop and the faux outdoor staging—all feed into an invented fantasy, a curated femininity, where everything’s about constructing the desirable image for the brand and audience. Curator: Exactly. Note the contrast, though, Annie Leslie presents not merely as a beautiful object but as an active presence. Her apron suggests domesticity, but her pose hints at something less… contained, more energetic. And look—a touch of floral elegance up near her shoulder! Like nature mirroring humanity mirroring artificiality, it's all folding in on itself in fascinating layers! Editor: Absolutely. One could unpack the historical dynamics—women, consumption, visibility, desire—all wrapped in this tiny card meant for everyday pockets! And the commodification of actresses like Leslie… were they gaining exposure, or being further objectified within this consumer culture? Curator: Or both? It's complex, isn't it? A woman gains a tiny stage—the inside of a cigarette pack! Editor: Yes, these visual economies dictated, and continue to influence how we see women today. Curator: It gives one pause—a single portrait from a bygone age sparking all sorts of inquiries! Editor: Yes. It prompts the observer to wonder at the layers underneath the seemingly flat representation.