Blonde actress wearing petite straw-brimmed cap decorated with white flowers, from Stars of the Stage, Third Series (N131) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1891 - 1892

This vibrant chromolithograph from around 1870, by W. Duke, Sons & Co., presents a blonde actress wearing a petite straw-brimmed cap, adorned with delicate white flowers. The artist has carefully structured the composition to draw our eye directly to the subject's face, using a subtle palette of pastel shades that evoke a sense of youthful freshness. Notice how the striped pattern of her dress contrasts with the soft, diffused light on her face, creating a dynamic interplay of line and texture. The composition’s formal clarity, combined with the softness of the color, challenges the period's aesthetic norms by blending commercial appeal with artistic nuance. The card, created as advertisement, becomes more than a mere commodity. It engages with contemporary ideas about beauty and representation. It prompts us to reconsider the boundaries between art, commerce, and cultural values.