Card Number 120, Alice Harrison, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

Card Number 120, Alice Harrison, from the Actors and Actresses series, was produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as a promotional item for Cross Cut Cigarettes around the turn of the 20th century. This mass-produced card speaks volumes about the cultural values and the commodification of image during this period. Alice Harrison, the subject, was likely an actress, but here she becomes a figure to be consumed, much like the cigarettes she advertises. She is dressed in a costume that exoticizes her, tapping into a broader trend of fascination with the ‘other’. This card participates in the construction of celebrity and femininity, reducing Harrison to a single image divorced from her actual identity and labor. The card reflects how identity, particularly that of women and performers, became entwined with commerce and popular culture. It prompts us to consider the power dynamics at play when images are circulated for profit, and how such representations shape perceptions of identity and value.