Card Number 146, Carrie Surrey, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-5) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes 1880s

Card Number 146 featuring Carrie Surrey, was created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. around the turn of the 20th century as a promotional item for Cameo Cigarettes. The sepia tone and compact format create an intimate viewing experience. Surrey's pose, with a hand resting on her hip and a slight turn of her head, exudes a controlled sensuality, a common trope in the marketing of the era. The interplay of light and shadow across her costume accentuates the fabric’s texture. The card functions as a signifier, using Surrey's image to imbue the cigarettes with associations of glamour and sophistication. The structural composition, pairing image with text, exemplifies how consumer culture uses semiotics to create desire. This small card reflects larger societal structures of representation, gender, and commerce, inviting viewers to decode its layers of meaning. Ultimately, the card serves as a reminder of the complex relationship between art, commerce, and cultural values, where even the smallest of images can carry significant weight.