Card Number 170, Miss Wilson, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This is card number 170 from the Actors and Actresses series, created by W. Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes. It's a small piece, only a few inches in size, yet it opens up a whole world of late 19th-century culture and commerce. These cards were inserted into cigarette packs during an era of burgeoning consumerism. The actress, Miss Wilson, is presented here as a desirable figure, her image designed to entice smokers. She is dressed in theatrical costume, her pose suggesting confidence and allure. But there's a tension here too: while she embodies a certain ideal of feminine beauty, she's also being used to sell a product that was beginning to be recognized as harmful. It makes you consider the complex dynamics of representation, identity, and commodification. The card is both an artifact of its time and a mirror reflecting our own ongoing debates about gender, health, and the power of images.