Card Number 186, De Sartis, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-5) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes 1880s

This small card, printed by W. Duke, Sons & Co., features the actress De Sartis, and was originally a promotional insert for Cameo Cigarettes. The card is a mass-produced object, printed on paper, and the image itself is a photograph reproduced through a printing process like lithography, allowing for inexpensive replication. The sepia tone gives the card an antique feel, a characteristic of early photographic printing. The decision to print a photo of an actress connects to a broader context of celebrity culture and the rise of mass media, where images of performers were circulated widely to promote products. It also speaks to the labor involved, from the photographer and printer to the actress herself, who is participating in the commodification of her image. The amount of work that goes into the image, the setting and her dress contrast to its function as advertisement, and the amount of labour that went into the mass production of the card itself. Considering the materials, processes, and its function, this card goes beyond mere commercial ephemera, revealing how deeply connected art, labor, and consumer culture were at the turn of the century.