Card Number 126, Lillian Grubb, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

Curator: This is “Card Number 126, Lillian Grubb,” from the Actors and Actresses series, printed in the 1880s by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as promotional material for their Cross Cut Cigarettes. It’s currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: Huh. She looks bored. Posed languidly, you know, like she's waiting for someone to bring her another mint julep... or maybe just another cigarette? You can almost taste the velvet and cheap perfume clinging to the air. Curator: The printing process itself is fascinating. Think about the mass production required for these cards! Duke was really tapping into a growing culture of celebrity and consumerism. It would have taken intense labor to photograph the actress, and then engrave, print, and distribute these cards on such a massive scale alongside their cigarettes. Editor: And let's be real, Lillian isn’t just an “actress" here. She’s become a commodity. I mean, even her gaze feels… marketed. Like she's supposed to exude this playful allure while really, she is helping hawk smokes. What kind of contracts were these actresses signing back then, I wonder? Curator: Interesting point! And considering photography was still somewhat novel, these cards offered a way for the everyday smoker to connect with the glamour of the stage, right? Did they see these actresses as real or an illusion, as relatable or aspirational? And what kind of impact did the relentless production of tobacco products have? These cards aren't just images; they're tiny documents loaded with cultural weight. Editor: Yes, absolutely, I’m seeing the appeal—the glamour paired with nicotine, a fleeting thrill for both—yet the physical evidence left on the earth from both those acts is rather tragic. Curator: Exactly! The textures on the card, though, you know, they hint at a world both accessible and just beyond reach. What an interesting contradiction... Editor: Absolutely, a miniature collision of artistry, labor, celebrity, and, consumption captured on a small card… I mean the Met holding such a product seems like quite an admission itself! Curator: A complex layering, definitely, worthy of consideration.