Card Number 67, Maud Clifton, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-6) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

This small card from the late 19th century was made by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as part of an advertising campaign for Duke Cigarettes. It features a photograph of Maud Clifton, an actress, posed in a domestic setting. The image creates meaning through visual codes and cultural references. The actress herself was a commodity being sold to the public, much like the cigarettes being advertised. The card reflects the growing commercialization of leisure and entertainment in America at the time. This was a period in which the advertising industry and the mass media were beginning to shape cultural tastes and social norms. Cards like these are invaluable to social historians. They tell us a great deal about gender roles, consumer culture, and the cult of celebrity in late 19th-century America. We can find out more about the status of theatre by researching playbills and theatre reviews from the period. We can also track the rise of the tobacco industry by looking at trade publications and company records.