Card Number 599, Geraldine Ulmer, 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
63.350.208.145.3.174
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 1880s American theater with *Card Number 599,ine Ulmer*, a petite albumen photograph from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-3). Issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote their Cross Cut Cigarettes, this 2 11/16 × 1 3/8-inch card captures the poised portrait of actress Geraldine Ulmer, one of many celebrity likenesses designed to entice collectors. Part of the explosive trend in tobacco insert cards, these ephemera turned everyday cigarette packs into treasure troves, fueling a collecting craze among enthusiasts. The albumen printing process, using egg whites ...
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...