[Actress lifting skirt], from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-6) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

This card, printed around 1900 by W. Duke, Sons & Co., is a humble artifact of industrial capitalism. Made using photomechanical reproduction, a process that allowed images to be printed quickly and cheaply, the card was inserted into packs of Duke cigarettes as a promotional item. The sepia tone gives the image a nostalgic feel, but it also speaks to the methods used to produce it: layers of ink mechanically pressed onto paper, a far cry from the individual labor of a hand-painted portrait. The image depicts an actress, posed in a way that would have been considered alluring at the time. Her slightly raised skirt and coy expression were meant to entice consumers to buy Duke cigarettes. These cards were not intended as high art. Instead, they represent the convergence of advertising, mass production, and the burgeoning entertainment industry, blurring the lines between art and commerce. They remind us that even the most ephemeral objects can offer insights into the social and economic forces that shaped our world.