Card Number 3, Alma Stewart Stanley, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

Curator: Here we have an interesting example of late 19th-century advertising ephemera. It's a card from the "Actors and Actresses" series, issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes. Specifically, it's card number three, featuring Alma Stewart Stanley. Editor: The sepia tones give it an antique feel, of course. She's gazing off to the side. But knowing it’s for cigarettes…it makes you think about consumption, literally and figuratively. About making celebrity into a commodity, something that's used and then discarded. Curator: Exactly! These cards were included in cigarette packs to stiffen the packaging and encourage collecting. This highlights how popular culture and marketing intertwined in the Gilded Age. The actresses’ images became highly circulated, contributing to celebrity culture’s growth. It reflects the broader commodification of entertainment and leisure during this era. Editor: It also raises questions about access to image making. Think about who had the power to produce and distribute these portraits. Duke Sons & Co. controlled not only the product, but also its promotion, shaping the way consumers perceived both the cigarettes and the women associated with them. Curator: Absolutely. It presents an opportunity to discuss the role of women in this period. Were they empowered, exploited, or some messy combination of both? The actress gains recognition, but her image is tied inextricably to a consumable product. Editor: Right. You also wonder about the labor involved in producing these cards. Where were they printed? What kind of working conditions existed in those factories? There’s so much unseen materiality tied to what we think of as a mere photographic print. Curator: This humble cigarette card offers a surprising depth for understanding late 19th-century society. From the economics of advertising to the image of women to the burgeoning culture of celebrity. Editor: A potent little piece of consumer culture, connecting so many dots between the manufacturing of desire and the material conditions of production. Makes you rethink your impulse purchases!