Card Number 41, Ida Mulle, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-6) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

Curator: What a captivating artifact. This is card number 41 from the "Actors and Actresses" series (N145-6), dating back to the 1880s. It was issued by Duke Sons & Co. as a promotional piece for Duke Cigarettes. The card, featuring Ida Mulle, resides now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: It's surprisingly poignant for cigarette advertising. There's a real sense of longing emanating from her pose, from the tilt of her head and slightly downturned eyes, despite the clear commercial purpose. Curator: Absolutely. These cards offer a fascinating window into the burgeoning advertising industry and its relationship with celebrity culture in the late 19th century. The idealized imagery used to sell tobacco products became a potent form of visual rhetoric. Editor: The choice of kimono and fan certainly seems to reference the prevailing fascination with Japonisme in Western art at the time. It gives an air of exoticism, probably intended to add allure. But does the choice risk being reductive? Curator: The incorporation of Japonisme here certainly simplifies and exoticizes Japanese culture, but its wide appeal added refinement. What seems to be suggested is that buying these cigarettes may impart worldliness, the kind enjoyed by popular actors like Ida. Note, also, that this iconography appeared everywhere, from fine art, interior design, clothing and, of course, product advertising. Editor: I suppose it is of its time, both reflecting and reinforcing societal norms. This is particularly striking considering how ephemera like these can shape collective cultural memories, distilling ideas for broad consumption. How were such series conceived? Curator: Duke Sons and other tobacco companies mass-produced these cards, inserting them into cigarette packages as a means of boosting sales. This convergence of art and commerce also effectively democratized the accessibility to images, turning even everyday activities into vehicles for cultural participation. Editor: And a glimpse into social history, neatly encapsulated. A single card reveals marketing techniques, cultural obsessions, and, most significantly, how images persuade people and maintain cultural patterns over time. Curator: Indeed, what we see is a very precise choreography in the theater of aspiration, offering a compelling glimpse into the historical relationship between celebrity, commerce, and consumer desire.