Card Number 352, Jennie Calef, 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
63.350.208.145.5.15
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 1880s advertising with *Card Number 352, Calef*, a gem from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-5) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote their Cameo Cig. This petite albumen photograph, measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 3/8 inches, captures the poised portrait of actress Jennie Calef, one of many celebrities featured on these collectible trade cards. Tobacco companies like Duke pioneered this marketing strategy, tucking cards into cigarette packs to entice collectors—especially young fans—and boost sales during a booming era of mass production and consumer culture....
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...