Card Number 130, Topsy Verin, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This is Card Number 130, Topsy Verin, a trade card produced around 1900 by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes. It's a small chromolithograph, an inexpensive printing method using a series of lithographic stones, each applying a different color. The process allowed manufacturers to create colorful, eye-catching images at a low cost, which is why they became so popular for advertising. Here, Topsy Verin’s theatrical costume and pose are rendered with surprising detail, given the scale. The card stock itself is thin and mass-produced, further emphasizing its disposable nature. The use of chromolithography in advertising highlights the relationship between art, commerce, and consumption at the turn of the century. These cards, often collected and traded, speak to the rise of consumer culture and the commodification of art. They remind us that even seemingly simple images can carry significant social and economic weight.