Card Number 544, Miss Kerkep, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-7) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

Editor: This is "Card Number 544, Miss Kerkep," from the Actors and Actresses series, made in the 1880s by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to advertise Duke Cigarettes. It’s a small photographic print on paper. I find it striking how this promotional object elevates a commonplace commercial function, what are your initial thoughts on it? Curator: I'm immediately drawn to the relationship between labor and the aesthetic object here. The photograph is a product of multiple forms of labor: the photographer's, Miss Kerkep's as a performer, and the factory workers who mass-produced these cards. The materiality of the card itself—cheap paper stock, mass-produced print—speaks to its intended use: ephemeral advertisement. Does it complicate your viewing to realize it promoted tobacco? Editor: Absolutely, it's strange to consider this image, which seems almost like a miniature portrait, as something disposable. It does change my appreciation as a precious art object. How does the fact that this was made to promote Duke Cigarettes affects how you view its place in art history? Curator: Well, the act of consumption is really foregrounded. Duke Cigarettes sought to associate their product with glamour and celebrity, appropriating the likeness of Miss Kerkep. The image itself becomes a commodity, divorced from any inherent artistic value and now serving the interests of capital. Consider the means of production versus the supposed 'high art' it references. How does its availability—as a widely distributed cigarette card—challenge traditional notions of artistic value and uniqueness? Editor: So you’re suggesting the value shifts depending on the means and the motive, becoming an accessible form of art consumption. I hadn't considered how its production undermines traditional art appreciation. Thanks! Curator: Precisely! By examining the materials, labor, and the broader social context, we uncover a more complex story about the relationship between art, commerce, and consumption in the late 19th century.