Helen Dacre as "The Seaside Belle," from the series Fancy Dress Ball Costumes (N73) for Duke brand cigarettes 1889

This chromolithograph of Helen Dacre as "The Seaside Belle" was produced around the turn of the 20th century by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as one of a series of collectible cards included in their cigarette packs. These cards offer a glimpse into the Edwardian era's fascination with theater and celebrity. They reflect the intertwined dynamics of consumer culture and the performance of identity. Helen Dacre, an actress, is styled as the idealized "Seaside Belle," and her costume, featuring nautical symbols, evokes a sense of leisure and privilege connected to coastal resorts. The card reveals subtle class and gender dynamics at play during this time. Dacre's portrayal embodies a vision of femininity linked to leisure, fashion, and public display. By capitalizing on the popularity of actresses, cigarette companies aimed to broaden their appeal, particularly to men who were their primary consumer base. These cigarette cards thus provide a lens through which we can consider how Edwardian society constructed ideas about identity, desire, and aspiration through the commodification of image and performance.