Card Number 127, Flora Livingston, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This is card number 127 from the Actors and Actresses series, printed by W. Duke Sons & Co. as an advertisement for Cross Cut Cigarettes. It’s a small chromolithograph, a color print created using multiple lithographic stones. Here, the material is inseparable from the message. The card is designed to be collected, traded, and admired. The image of Flora Livingston, a stage performer, is carefully posed and presented. But, as a mass-produced object, this card speaks to the rise of consumer culture in the late 19th century. The processes of photography and printing allowed for images to be replicated at scale. These cards were essentially cheap commodities. They were included in cigarette packs to encourage brand loyalty, and to add value to an otherwise inexpensive product. Ultimately, this humble card bridges the world of entertainment and advertising, art and industry. By considering its materiality and context, we can see how even the smallest objects can reflect broader social and economic forces.