Blanche C. Ford, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1890 - 1895

This small promotional card of Blanche C. Ford, from the Actors and Actresses series, was issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes between 1870 and 1920. These cards were a form of early advertising, capitalizing on the burgeoning celebrity culture, and reveal much about the social position of women in entertainment at the time. Ford, like other actresses featured in these series, was both celebrated and commodified. Seated and adorned in a lavish gown, she embodies an ideal of feminine beauty and success, yet her image is reduced to a token in the service of selling cigarettes. The card reflects a moment where the visibility of women in public life was increasing, but their representation was still largely controlled by male-dominated industries. It invites us to consider the complex relationship between performance, identity, and commercialization.