Card Number 259, Annie Perkins, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This is a promotional card for Cross Cut Cigarettes, created by Duke Sons & Co. which features Annie Perkins, an actress of the time. Perkins is adorned with flowers, symbols of youth and beauty, a familiar invocation that stretches back to antiquity. These floral elements recall Botticelli's "Primavera," where Flora scatters blossoms, embodying renewal and growth. Here, the flowers may allude to Perkin's vitality as a performer, inviting the viewer to associate her allure with the cigarette brand. Yet, observe the column upon which she sits, a classical element, but altered, adorned with theatrical masks. In this context, the mask does not hide, but reveals a performative truth, echoing throughout time in art and life.