Miss Miller, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-3) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This is Miss Miller, a promotional card from the Actors and Actresses series issued by Duke Sons & Co. around the turn of the century to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes. These cards were a clever marketing strategy, tapping into the burgeoning popularity of theater and the public's fascination with performers. Miss Miller, like other actresses featured in these series, embodies the idealized femininity of the era. She is presented as both alluring and demure, a reflection of the complex and often contradictory expectations placed on women in the public eye. The actresses featured were overwhelmingly white, reinforcing prevailing beauty standards and the limited opportunities afforded to women of color. While these cards offered a form of visibility for actresses, it was a visibility carefully curated and controlled by the male gaze and commercial interests. In our contemporary moment, looking at Miss Miller, we might consider the many layers of performance and representation, and also the question of who gets to be seen, and how.