Card Number 766, Lizzie Webster, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-5) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes by W. Duke, Sons & Co.

Card Number 766, Lizzie Webster, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-5) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes 1880s

drawing, print

portrait

pencil drawn

drawing

toned paper

print

pencil sketch

old engraving style

pencil drawing

coloured pencil

ink colored

men

watercolour illustration

pencil art

watercolor

This is a trade card from the 1880s, produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote their brand of Cameo Cigarettes. The card features an image of actress Lizzie Webster in a theatrical costume, likely from a play or performance. The trade card, in the tradition of the genre, uses the image of a popular figure to draw the viewer's eye and associate the brand with that individual. The card is a prime example of early commercial advertising, and its use of a celebrity endorsement remains relevant today.