Card Number 161, Lotta, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-6) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

Editor: Here we have a cigarette card, “Card Number 161, Lotta,” dating back to the 1880s. It’s a portrait from the Actors and Actresses series by W. Duke, Sons & Co., intended to promote their Duke Cigarettes. What strikes me is the contrast: an image that once circulated widely and cheaply is now displayed as a unique art object. What's your perspective on this piece? Curator: It's fascinating how a piece of ephemera like this cigarette card transcends its original purpose. We must consider the materiality of the card itself. It’s not just an image; it's paper, ink, the residue of mass production. Its value now, displayed in a museum, highlights a complex relationship between commodity culture, art, and labor. Editor: So, you are emphasizing the physical components and also how they became art through labor. Curator: Exactly! Think about the labor involved. The photographic process, the printing, the cutting, packaging—all that before it even reached the consumer. Then consider how tobacco was harvested and processed! What was the lived experience for someone who saw this image in its intended context, compared to our experience viewing it here and now? Editor: That gives me a totally new lens! What initially felt like a simple portrait now represents a complex web of industrial processes and consumption. The image of “Lotta” the actress served as propaganda for a commodity that has a troubling cultural impact today. Curator: Precisely. By analyzing the materials and means of production, we move beyond the surface image to understand the underlying economic and social forces at play. Editor: I hadn't considered the material origins of such a small and seemingly insignificant image, but its placement in a museum transforms how we understand it. Thanks! Curator: And considering the material impact cigarette cards had on popular culture helps us rethink assumptions around portraiture and artistic creation. Always dig deeper!