Card Number 613, Misses Arnold and Stone, 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
63.350.208.145.3.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the bustling world of 19th-century advertising, *Card Number 613, Misses Arnold and Stone* from the Actors and Actresses series stands as a charming example of ephemera from W. Duke, Sons &. Produced in the 1880s to their Cross Cut Cigarettes, tiny albumen photograph—measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 3/8 inches—was one of many collectible trading cards inserted into cigarette packs. These cards captivated smokers and collectors alike, turning everyday tobacco purchases into a hunt for celebrity portraits. Featuring the actresses Misses Arnold and Stone, the image exemplifies the era's fascination...
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...