Emma Abbott, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of late 19th-century advertising this petite albumen photograph of actress Emma Abbott, part of the "Actors and Actresses" seriesN145-8). around 1891 by W. Duke, Sons & Co., the American Tobacco Company, this card was one of many issued to promote Duke Cigarettes Measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 3/8 inches, it captures Abbott's poised portrait, transforming a simple marketing tool into a cherished piece of ephemera now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's R. Burdick Collection. Albumen prints, the medium here, were a hallmark of Victorian-era photography, created b...

About the Artist

American Tobacco Company|W. Duke, Sons & Co.

**American Tobacco Company (1890–1911)** Founded on January 31, 1890, in Durham, North Carolina, by James Buchanan Duke, the American Tobacco Company emerged from the consolidation of five major U.S. tobacco manufacturers: W. Duke & Sons, Allen & Ginter, Goodwin & Company, W.S. Kimball & Co., and Kinney Brothers. Under Duke's aggressive leadership, it rapidly achieved monopoly status, controlling...