Card Number 73, Annie Sutherland, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-4) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes 1880s

This small card was printed by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes. It's an albumen silver print on paper, a photographic process popular in the late 19th century, known for its fine detail and sepia tone. The image shows Annie Sutherland, an actress, in what appears to be a theatrical costume. It's a reminder that even something as seemingly simple as a cigarette card involved a complex network of labor. From the photographers and printers who created the image, to the factory workers who assembled the cards and cigarettes, this was a product of industrial capitalism. The card's materiality – the thinness of the paper, the mass-produced image – speaks to its function as a disposable advertisement. It's a far cry from a unique work of art, yet it offers a fascinating glimpse into the visual culture of its time, and the way images were used to sell goods and promote celebrity. This challenges our traditional distinctions between art and ephemera, inviting us to consider the social and economic forces that shape what we value.