Lois Arnold, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes
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
63.350.208.145.8.13
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of late 19th-century advertising with this petite albumen photograph of actress Lois Arnold, part of the "Actors and Actresses" series (N145-8) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. around 1891. Produced by the American Tobacco Company, these tiny cards—measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 3/8 inches—were tucked into Duke Cigarette packs clever promotional inserts, enticing collectors while boosting sales in an era of fierce tobacco competition. Crafted via the albumen process, a hallmark of 19th-century photography, the image features a sharp, richly toned portrait on egg-white-coa...
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...