Card Number 251, Ames, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This card, number 251 in a series promoting Cross Cut Cigarettes, was issued by Duke Sons & Co. around the turn of the 20th century. It features a performer, identified only as “Ames,” in what we can assume is a theatrical costume. These cards, like others that featured baseball players and other popular figures, were designed to be collected and traded. As such, they are fascinating documents of cultural values and social hierarchies at the time. How were women represented in popular culture? How did the burgeoning advertising industry use images to sell products? What kinds of entertainment were considered respectable, and which were not? The image of Ames is striking, but it's important to remember that it was created within a specific economic context, part of the history of tobacco marketing in the United States. By studying such ephemera, we can gain a better understanding of the social and institutional forces that shape the production and consumption of images.