Card Number 560, Emily Young, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-7) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

Curator: This portrait of Emily Young, dating back to the 1880s, is part of the Actors and Actresses series (N145-7) by W. Duke, Sons & Co. Originally, it was issued to promote Duke Cigarettes. Editor: My first impression is of a dream-like vintage photo, with its sepia tones. The composition strikes me as intriguing, especially the ruffles on her dress and the prop she's perched on—it almost resembles a rustic fence or stage. Curator: Exactly, it’s fascinating to consider the purpose of such trade cards. Disseminated widely with tobacco products, they served as a popular marketing tool. Note the link between mass-produced cigarettes and celebrity culture emerging at this time. Editor: And we mustn't overlook the physical aspect: being a small card, likely a chromolithograph—I'm thinking about the sheer number produced and distributed. The consumption of these images parallels the consumption of cigarettes. Curator: You are correct. Pictorialism influences how photography captures an idealization of feminine beauty, something seen both in fine art portraiture of the era and its more popular applications, such as advertisements. Editor: Right, and the portrait also engages with the conventions of Japonisme. Notice the deliberate posing of the model and the suggestion of the artist's "hand" apparent in photographic processing, thus aligning with broader stylistic tendencies present in consumer goods during this period. It points to cultural transfer within commercial manufacturing. Curator: Precisely. Trade cards blur lines between art, advertising, and popular culture—allowing historians like myself insight into prevailing social tastes and means of production in the late 19th century. Editor: Agreed, studying Emily Young through this lens transforms her from a mere actress on a card to a fascinating focal point regarding the economics of image-making and social history. Curator: Absolutely, it invites deeper reflection on commercial art, materiality, and the echoes of our history that remain today.