Card Number 526, Mrs. Sheridan, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-7) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke 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
63.350.208.145.7.165
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the glittering world of 19th-century theater with *Card Number 526,. Sheridan*, a petite albumen photograph from the Actors and Actresses series (145-7). Issued in the 1880s by W. Duke, Sons Co., this tiny trading card—measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 3/8 inches—was tucked into packs of Duke Cigarettes as a clever marketing ploy. Part of a popular ephemera trend, these collectibles captured the era's fascination with stage stars, turning everyday smokers into avid hobbyists. The card features a formal portrait of Mrs. Sheridan, an actress emblematic of Victorian performance culture, where...
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...