Card Number 70, Louise Pauline, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-4) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes 1880s

This is Card Number 70, Louise Pauline, from the Actors and Actresses series, created by W. Duke, Sons & Co., part of a set issued to promote Cameo Cigarettes. The monochromatic palette focuses attention on the texture and form within this small rectangle. Notice how the soft focus renders Louise Pauline’s features with a gentle, almost ethereal quality, characteristic of photographic portraiture of the period. The composition, dominated by her face and upper body, is carefully arranged. The dark dress creates a stark contrast against her fair skin, drawing the eye upwards. The lace and floral arrangement soften this contrast, adding visual interest. This card functions as both an aesthetic object and a promotional tool. It engages with the semiotic system where beauty, celebrity, and consumerism intersect. The card presents an actress as a desirable figure and the cigarette brand with sophistication and glamour. The interplay between the actress's image and the product promotes a lifestyle of leisure and aspiration. This tension embodies the complexities inherent in the commodification of art.