Card Number 152, Stella Sawer, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-5) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes 1880s

Editor: This is a card, "Number 152, Stella Sawer," a photographic print from the 1880s created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. It's fascinating to see an actress used to promote cigarettes. What strikes you about its position within art and cultural history? Curator: What’s interesting to me is its placement. Cigarette cards like these blur the line between art and advertising. Stella Sawer, the actress, becomes a commodity. The card functioned within a growing consumer culture and promoted ideals of beauty and fame. What impact do you think these images had on the perception of actresses at the time? Editor: That's a really interesting point; I suppose they become simultaneously more visible and more easily consumable as images, detaching from their stage performances. Do you think there's an element of empowerment or exploitation in this? Curator: It's both, I think. Sawer gains recognition, but her image is being used to sell a product, which, like tobacco, had its own complex societal implications, particularly linked to masculinity. It reveals a lot about the developing relationship between fame, consumerism, and gender in the late 19th century. What do you think a modern version of this campaign would look like? Editor: Hmm, it’s difficult to imagine an equivalent, perhaps because celebrity endorsements are so widespread now. I hadn't considered the relationship between femininity and smoking though, I just saw this as an unusual application of portraiture, thanks for providing a wider lens! Curator: Absolutely. Thinking about these cards through the lens of cultural history gives us insights into broader socio-political dynamics.