Grace Seavey, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-7) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke 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
63.350.208.145.7.227
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 1880s advertising with this petite albumen photograph of actress Grace Seavey, of the "Actors and Actresses" series (N145-7) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote their Duke Cigarettes. Measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 3/8 inches, this tiny portrait captures the allure of Victorian-era theater stars, transforming everyday cigarette packs into collectible treasures. Albumen prints, made with egg white-coated paper for sharp detail and warm tones, were the gold standard for such ephemera, blending photography's precision with mass production. These cards were a cleve...
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...