Card Number 522, Miss Landry, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-7) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

This is Card Number 522, Miss Landry, one of a series of cigarette cards produced by Duke Sons & Co. Sometime between 1870 and 1920, it would have been printed using industrial methods, most likely photolithography, on a thin card stock. Cigarette cards like this were essentially small, portable billboards, mass-produced and included in cigarette packs as a marketing ploy. They show us how images of actresses became commercial commodities, bundled with tobacco and sold to a wide audience. The card itself, with its rounded edges and sepia tones, has a tactile quality, inviting touch and collection. Consider the labor involved in the production process, from the photography and printing to the packaging and distribution, all geared towards fueling the consumption of cigarettes. These cards blur the lines between art, advertising, and ephemera. They show us that even the most seemingly disposable objects can offer insights into the social and economic forces that shaped their creation.