[Actress in profile], from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1890 - 1895

Curator: This lovely piece, dating from around 1890 to 1895, comes from a series called "Actors and Actresses" produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote their Duke Cigarettes. It's titled "[Actress in profile]" and belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection. Editor: My first thought is that it's hauntingly beautiful. The monochrome effect and the woman’s profile...it evokes a strong sense of nostalgia. Like peering into a forgotten era. It feels so… intimate and quiet. Curator: These promotional cards were a fascinating intersection of consumer culture and celebrity image-making. Duke Cigarettes tapped into the rising popularity of actresses to broaden their consumer base, effectively using these women's likenesses to sell cigarettes. Consider, for instance, the subtle power dynamics at play—an actress’s face used for commerce, appealing specifically to presumed male consumers of tobacco. Editor: You know, looking at her now, she's more than just a face on a cigarette card. There's a vulnerability in her gaze, even a trace of defiance in the set of her jaw. It makes you wonder about the real person behind the celebrity. Also, how self-aware she was to become such marketing material for the masculine population, she looks nothing like someone who consumes such a product. The softness, almost romanticism, fights so directly the expected effects of the product. Curator: Absolutely. It raises complex questions about women's roles and representation during this time. The actress’s agency, or lack thereof, becomes central. How complicit were these women in their own commodification, and to what extent did societal norms and economic realities limit their choices? We should question, what's the true cost of ambition and the dreams sold on the stage? And more importantly, at what cost do they get printed and placed onto mundane everyday objects to promote destructive items. Editor: It does bring to mind all those cigarette ads targeting women later, right? The ones promising weight loss, or sophistication... It's insidious how the same image, so vulnerable at first glance, gets twisted into a tool of manipulation. Makes you see this seemingly innocent portrait in a whole different, unsettling light. Curator: Indeed. And analyzing these promotional cards through the lens of feminist and consumer culture theories exposes uncomfortable truths about advertising's role in perpetuating gender stereotypes and capitalizing on women's aspirations. Editor: This little image packs a serious punch! It has the uncanny power to spark so much critical dialogue from a seemingly simple portrait. It kind of blew my mind... Curator: And this, I believe, is the enduring power of art. To act as a time capsule that allows us to explore difficult yet relevant contexts even when approaching pieces from vastly different time eras.