[Actress wearing dress with vertical striped pattern], from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1890 - 1895

This photograph of an actress in a striped dress comes from a series made around the turn of the 20th century by W. Duke, Sons & Co., to promote Duke Cigarettes. It's a simple albumen print on card, a process that was by then highly mechanized. The card format is key here. These were essentially calling cards, small enough to be collected and traded. But beyond mere advertising, they also reflected a culture of mass production and consumption. Photography had become a key tool in both. The actress herself, poised and elegantly dressed, is also part of this economy. She is presented as a desirable image, an aspiration. By associating her glamour with their product, Duke Cigarettes were selling not just tobacco, but an entire lifestyle. The striped fabric of her dress may even have been manufactured by the same methods that printed these cards. So, this little picture is more than just a pretty face. It’s a window into the industrial revolution, and the way that art, commerce, and desire became intertwined.