Card Number 153, Lillian Russell, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-6) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

This card, made by W. Duke Sons & Co., presents the actress Lillian Russell amidst a constructed outdoor scene. Note how she is crowned with flowers, a motif that carries echoes of classical antiquity. Consider Flora, the Roman goddess of springtime and flowers, often depicted adorned with blossoms, symbolizing renewal and vitality. This visual association is not accidental; it taps into a deeper, archetypal memory. The garland of flowers, as seen here, reappears through history, signifying beauty, celebration, and a connection to the natural world. But there’s a subtle shift. In Russell's time, the image of a flower-crowned woman also spoke to a burgeoning ideal of feminine beauty and popular culture. What once symbolized divine grace now graces a cigarette card, transforming sacred iconography into popular imagery. This is the eternal dance of symbols: their cyclical progression, their adaptation, and their resurfacing in new contexts.