Mrs. Stuart Robson, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes

This photograph of Mrs. Stuart Robson comes from a series made around the turn of the century by W. Duke, Sons & Co., to promote Duke Cigarettes. These cards, printed on a thin card stock, were essentially freebies, designed to be collected and traded, and to get people hooked on the brand. The sepia tone gives the image a sense of nostalgia, even though it was a cheap, mass-produced item in its own time. You can see how photography, even in its infancy, was already deeply entangled with the machinery of industrial capitalism. It democratized image-making while at the same time, turning it into another tool for marketing and sales. The image may not be precious, but it still gives us a glimpse into the past, and the everyday culture of consumption. It reminds us that even the simplest objects can tell complex stories, and that art and commerce have always been closely intertwined.