Card Number 25, Annie Sutherland, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This is Card Number 25 from the Actors and Actresses series, a promotional lithograph for Cross Cut Cigarettes by W. Duke, Sons & Co. The sepia tones and the actress's pose convey a sense of historical theatricality, but the composition disrupts traditional portraiture. Annie Sutherland is not presented in a conventional, dignified manner. Instead, the cropped composition and dynamic pose draw attention to her fashionable attire. The eye is drawn from the feathery hat to the cropped bolero jacket, down to the breeches and high heeled boots. The advertisement subverts traditional semiotic codes, by associating feminine allure with the masculine habit of cigarette smoking. Annie Sutherland's provocative costume challenges fixed gender roles, engaging with new ways of thinking about representation and desire. This card functions not just aesthetically, but as part of a larger cultural discourse around gender and consumerism. Remember, art is always a site of ongoing interpretation.