Card Number 211, Bessie Clare, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-5) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes
1880s
Medium
Albumen photograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 11/16 × 1 3/8 in. (6.8 × 3.5 cm)
Classification
Photographs|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick
Accession Number
63.350.208.145.5.21
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Card Number 211,ie Clare*, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-5), issued by W. Duke, & Co. in the 1880s to promote their Cameo Cigarettes. This albumen photograph captures the poised portrait of actress Bess Clare, embodying the era's fascination with theater stars. Tobacco companies like Duke, a powerhouse in the burgeoning cigarette industry, distributed these collectible trade cards packs to entice smokers and build brand loyalty, turning everyday purchases into a treasure hunt for celebrity images. Crafted as ephemera, ...
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...