Lady R. Churchill, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-7) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

Curator: Here we have a trade card from the 1880s, "Lady R. Churchill, from the Actors and Actresses series" issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. It's fascinating that this portrait of Lady Churchill was actually a cigarette advertisement. Editor: It's interesting how celebrities were already being used to endorse products back then. What strikes me most is the juxtaposition of high society with the mass consumption of tobacco. What's your take on it? Curator: Exactly! These cards were printed en masse and distributed with Duke cigarettes. This collapse of high and low culture is crucial. By associating their product with actors, actresses, and even nobility like Lady Churchill, Duke aimed to elevate the social status of their brand. The material production here, the print itself, is as important as the image it bears. Consider the working class collecting these "artworks," engaging with images of the elite, however fleetingly. Editor: So it’s less about the artistic skill and more about what the card represents as a mass-produced commodity? Curator: Precisely. Think about the labor involved: from the tobacco farms to the printing presses churning out these cards. And the act of consumption isn’t limited to the cigarettes themselves. The image becomes a consumable good, circulated and exchanged. How does this commercialization impact our understanding of portraiture and fame at the time? Editor: I guess it makes celebrity portraiture seem less precious, more disposable, since it’s literally thrown away when the cigarettes are finished. It blurs the lines between art, advertising, and everyday life in a way I hadn't considered. Curator: It's about understanding art within broader systems of production and consumption. Hopefully you'll consider all these issues now whenever encountering everyday material culture. Editor: This really changed how I see things! It is amazing to grasp how advertising can shape our perception of value and status.