Card Number 768, Miss Lynne, 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
63.350.208.145.5.76
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century celebrity culture with *Card Number 768, Lynne*, a charming albumen photograph from W. Duke, Sons & Co.'s and Actresses series (145-5). Issued the 1880s to promote Cameo Cigarettes this tiny trading card—measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 3/8 inches—captures the poised elegance of actress Miss Lynne. Tobacco companies like the Dukes, pioneers in American cigarette manufacturing, distributed these collectible cards in packs to entice smokers and build brand loyalty, turning everyday purchases into a hunt for star portraits. The albumen print medium, popular ...
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...