Card Number 118, Duke, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Card Number 118,, from the Actors and Actresses seriesN145-1)*, a petite albumen photograph produced by W. Duke, & Co. in the 1880s. This treasure, measuring just 2½ × 1⅜ inches, was tucked into packs of Cross Cut Cigarettes a promotional incentive, enticing collectors with glamorous portraits of popular actresses. Duke Sons & Co., a pioneering American tobacco firm, leveraged the era's fascination with theater stars to boost sales, turning everyday smokers into avid hobbyists. Crafted via the albumen process—glass negatives coated...

About the Artist

W. Duke, Sons & Co. · 1870–1920

**W. Duke, Sons & Co.: Pioneers of Chromolithographic Trade Card Art** W. Duke, Sons & Co., an American tobacco manufacturer, emerged from the entrepreneurial vision of Washington Duke (1820–1905) and his sons in Durham, North Carolina. After the Civil War, Washington abandoned farming in 1874 to join his eldest son, Brodie L. Duke, in the burgeoning tobacco trade, establishing a factory that for...