Card Number 18, Mrs. Roach, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This is card number 18, Mrs. Roach, made by W. Duke, Sons & Co. around 1888 to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes. It's a printed image on card stock, a cheap, mass-produced item, yet it evokes a world of glamour. Consider how the industrialization of printing made images like these accessible. Photography, once a laborious process, was streamlined for commercial use. The card, small enough to fit into a cigarette pack, became a vehicle for advertising and collecting. Notice how the sepia tone lends a sense of nostalgia, and the sharp lines of the type contrast with the soft focus of Mrs. Roach’s portrait. The image isn't just about the actress; it's about the burgeoning consumer culture that used celebrity to sell products. The card thus straddles worlds of entertainment, industry, and daily life. It's a reminder that even the most ephemeral objects can tell us a great deal about the social and economic forces that shaped their creation.