Card Number 5, Lillian Russell, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

Curator: Looking at this albumen print dating from the 1880s, a promotional card by Duke Sons & Co., I am struck by its function as both art and advertisement. What's your first impression? Editor: Oh, she seems like she's gazing into the future, dreamy eyed, almost ethereal despite the slightly drab, sepia tones. There's a softness... a pre-Raphaelite echo perhaps? Curator: It's Lillian Russell, a celebrated actress and singer. These cards, inserted into cigarette packs, aimed to create value, a collectible allure that enticed consumers. Consider the labor: photography, printing, distribution... all part of constructing a desire for tobacco. Editor: It feels intimate, despite its mass-produced origins. Holding it, you sense a personal connection. What stories could this image, meant to sell cigarettes, whisper about its cultural moment and Lillian Russel herself? Curator: The scale is crucial. This wasn't meant to be displayed grandly. It was a small, accessible object. Its purpose dictated the photographic process itself. Albumen prints are cost-effective for mass-production, which directly contributed to the image's spread within the tobacco market. Editor: I can imagine a whole collection—glimpses into different lives and dramas packaged with, well, carcinogens! There is a contrast there, life against… less life. Is the romantic depiction perhaps there to disguise something? A darker trade? Curator: Exactly. And the artistry employed: the pose, the lighting, the elaborate costume. All create a heightened image far removed from the grim realities of factory production and potential health issues tied to smoking. Editor: There’s a strange kind of haunting here...a material object promising something beautiful. You really feel the tension in it. What a brilliant reminder of all those hands involved to deliver an fleeting emotion along with an advertisement! Curator: Indeed, a confluence of labor and artistry to entice, shaping perceptions and fueling a growing industry. That dance between desire, labor, and the commodification of celebrity... it resonates even today. Editor: A captivating moment captured on a humble cigarette card, with unexpected depths, no less.