Card Number 26, Lillian Grubb, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This is "Card Number 26, Lillian Grubb," a promotional card created around the turn of the 20th century by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to advertise Cross Cut Cigarettes. The sepia tones lend a vintage feel to this portrait. Note how the subject, Lillian Grubb, is staged against a backdrop that seems both domestic and commercial. The arrangement of the composition leads the eye from the detailed wallpaper to the advertisement for Cross Cut Cigarettes, and finally to Grubb herself. This card serves as a sign, simultaneously promoting a brand and an ideal of feminine beauty. By combining the portrait with advertising, it blurred the lines between public and private, consumption and identity. The formal elements of the card – its size, composition, and the strategic placement of text – all contribute to its dual function as an object of desire and a tool of commerce. Consider how such an image plays into the wider cultural narratives of consumerism.