Card Number 134, Miss Douglass, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

Editor: Here we have a promotional card from the 1880s, featuring Miss Douglass, issued by Duke Sons & Co. for Cross Cut Cigarettes. It seems to be a print, maybe a photograph originally? It's striking how theatrical the image is, and yet it's selling tobacco. What's your take on this piece? Curator: Well, immediately, the tie to commodity culture is clear. It's not "high art," it's an advertisement. What's most fascinating is considering the means of production. These cards were churned out en masse, highlighting the labor involved in both tobacco production and the printing industry itself. Who was making these? What were their working conditions? Editor: I never thought of it that way. I was focused on the woman herself. Curator: And that's valid! Consider Miss Douglass. The card blurs the lines between celebrity, performance, and product. She's commodified, packaged for consumption right alongside the cigarettes. Think about the costuming – it's ornate, clearly constructed… Who made that garment, and what did *their* labor look like? Editor: So, even her clothing becomes part of this network of production and consumption? Curator: Exactly! And notice the explicit branding "Cross Cut Cigarettes Are the Best." The card’s purpose wasn't aesthetic contemplation, it was direct sales, wasn't it? We can infer how products integrated within culture in the 19th century, even mass produced cards. Editor: That’s true, this card speaks to a whole system, doesn't it? Thanks, I appreciate the fresh insight. Curator: It helps to consider objects such as this by seeing past it as an individual object and instead an artifact within the network.