Card Number 592, Mary Anderson, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-3) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut 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
63.350.208.145.3.6
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Card Number 592, Anderson*, a gem from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-3) produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. in 1880s. This petite albumen photograph, measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 3/8 inches, served as a promotional insert for Cross Cut Cigarettes transforming everyday tobacco packs into collectible treasures. Featuring the celebrated actress Mary Anderson in a striking portrait, it captures the allure of theater stars who captivated audiences during the Gilded Age. Albumen prints, the most popular photographic medium of the era, ...
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...