Card Number 34, Kathleen Lynn, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

Curator: Good day, let's turn our attention to this striking card. It's titled "Card Number 34, Kathleen Lynn, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes" and it dates back to the 1880s. Editor: Immediately, I’m drawn to the overt theatricality. The pose, the costume, the way her gaze seems to drift just past the viewer—there’s an element of carefully constructed persona at play here. Curator: Precisely. These cards, distributed with cigarettes, were essentially marketing tools. They offer us a glimpse into the evolving commodification of celebrity at that time, how actors and actresses were becoming increasingly public figures. And Lynn was a personality employed in musical theatre, so there are implications about marketing the performance or theatre worlds themselves, too. Editor: That's an important aspect of the actress and actress series by Duke and Son tobacco products, as well, who is made accessible for people in society and those that do not visit theaters. Consider also the visual vocabulary: the almost classical drapery around her is an intentional signal toward history as cultural authority. Curator: Absolutely. What's interesting to consider, from my perspective, is how Duke, Sons & Co. used these cards to promote not only their product but a particular vision of sophistication and cultural cachet associated with cigarette smoking. Collecting these became a hobby for some. Editor: There is the visual economy we are immersed in even today. Even then, each choice—Lynn's positioning on what almost resembles an altar-like platform which states "Cross-Cut Cigarettes Are the Best," every prop seems saturated with layered meanings, contributing to the overall impact the distributors seek to produce, while offering, on another level, the subtle impression about our Kathleen Lynn's character. What emotions does this artwork trigger in the collector and admirer? I am curious. Curator: I wonder whether the actress herself fully participated or approved this commercial agenda or appropriation? Nevertheless, a fascinating peek into the nascent advertising industry of the late 19th century. It's an artwork reflecting and actively shaping cultural values around consumerism, entertainment and self-image. Editor: It's definitely a compelling convergence of symbolism and social forces that we should continue thinking and inquiring about!