Card Number 329, Empire Group, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-5) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes 1880s

This small card was produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. sometime between 1870 and 1920 to promote Cameo Cigarettes. Part of a series of trading cards featuring actors and actresses, this one showcases the "Empire Group" in costume. These cards were a clever marketing strategy, inserting images into everyday life and associating their product with glamour and entertainment. The women's attire references an earlier era, perhaps evoking a sense of nostalgia or theatricality. These cards offer a fascinating glimpse into the cultural values and entertainment industry of the time. One might ask: what kind of social and economic forces were at play when a tobacco company commercialized female actresses? What did the popular theater look like at the time? To address these kinds of questions, historians can look to records of the theater industry or study the marketing strategies of tobacco companies. By situating art within its historical context, we see its contingency and social significance.