Mlle. Rordame, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1890 - 1895

Curator: Ah, yes, here we have a promotional photograph. It depicts Mlle. Rordame, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) produced by Duke Sons & Co. to promote their Duke Cigarettes sometime between 1890 and 1895. These were essentially trading cards. Editor: There's a wistful fragility to this sepia-toned portrait. Her large hat casts a soft shadow, like she is shielding herself somehow. It's quite dreamy. Curator: It is interesting how tobacco companies used images of actresses and other famous personalities to market their products. Consider the labor involved; the cultivation, the processing of the tobacco leaves, the printing, the distribution... It speaks to the immense power and reach that these companies commanded. Editor: And to imagine the lives intertwined in such a commodity. Mlle Rordame becomes a vehicle. She's both present and absent at the same time. This little image whispers of her world, and all those people connected to her life just for this brief promotional flash. I wonder if she smoked... Curator: That’s quite possible. Think about the proliferation of print culture during this era; advertising infiltrated every facet of daily life, reinforcing particular ideals and behaviors. These cards offered visual snippets, almost glimpses, of glamour that were then inextricably linked with the act of consumption. Editor: Looking at it this way helps me move past the simple advertising aspect. The faded light gives it a feeling of a lost relic that might be connected to a whole hidden narrative about the people involved in this story, if we could just track down their names and connections. Curator: Exactly. When considering the means of production we start understanding the complex system behind seemingly simple things. From raw materials to finished product and its impact on a culture. Editor: It's more than just a card promoting cigarettes. It's about labor, consumerism, representation, desire… It shows, yet conceals. Thank you. Curator: Yes, reflecting upon these images unveils societal structures embedded in something as trivial as a tobacco card.