Miss Renwick, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1890 - 1895

This is a photograph of Miss Renwick, dating from around 1888. It was produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as a promotional item for Duke Cigarettes. These small cards were inserted into cigarette packs, tapping into the late 19th-century obsession with celebrity and collecting. The company produced a series of "Actors and Actresses," reflecting the growing popularity of the theatre and the rise of mass media. Think of these cards as the baseball cards of their day, only instead of athletes, they featured stage stars. The image itself, with its formal pose and soft lighting, imitates the conventions of high-end portrait photography. Renwick's elaborate dress signals her status as a celebrated performer. But placing her image on a mass-produced cigarette card democratized access to celebrity. To truly understand this image, we might research the history of tobacco advertising, the rise of celebrity culture, and the social history of photography. Each of these fields helps us contextualize the image and consider how it created meaning.