Josie Hall in Costume of Japanese Lady, from the set Actors and Actresses, Second Series (N71) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888 - 1890

This small chromolithograph of Josie Hall in Costume of Japanese Lady was made around the turn of the century by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as part of a series of cigarette cards featuring actors and actresses. The portrait is composed with a symmetrical balance, focusing on the subject's face, framed by a patterned head covering and colorful sash. The pale skin tones and soft pastels create a delicate, almost ethereal quality. It's interesting to consider how the formal elements of this card—its miniaturized scale and commercial context—intersect with the representation of cultural identity. The exoticized depiction flattens and packages a complex culture into a consumable image. It creates a semiotic system where signs, like costume, stand in for a culture, simplifying and commodifying it for mass consumption. Ultimately, the card functions as a signifier within a larger cultural discourse, reflecting the era's fascination with the exotic and its simplified understanding of other cultures. What meaning does the viewer create when looking at this card?