Louise Balfe as "Sweet Peas," from the series Fancy Dress Ball Costumes (N73) for Duke brand cigarettes 1889

This small chromolithograph was produced in the United States, around 1890, by W. Duke, Sons & Co., as a promotional item for their brand of cigarettes. It depicts Louise Balfe dressed as "Sweet Peas" for a fancy dress ball. The image is part of a series of actresses in costume, reflecting the late 19th-century fascination with theater and performance. These cards were inserted into cigarette packs, enticing consumers with images of fashionable women. This speaks to the role of advertising in shaping social norms and desires, linking consumption with beauty and celebrity. The card’s diminutive size and mass production underscore the democratization of imagery in the industrial age, where art becomes a commodity circulated within the circuits of consumer culture. Historical research into the archives of advertising companies, alongside studies of consumer culture, is invaluable in understanding the complex relationship between art, commerce, and society.