M'lle Alencon, 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
63.350.208.145.8.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of late 19th-century advertising *M'lle Alencon*, a charming albumen photograph from the Actors and Actresses series (145-8), issued 1891 by W. Duke, Sons & Co., later the American Tobacco Company. This petite card, measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 3/8 inches, was tucked into packs of Duke Cigarettes to collectors and promote the brand. Featuring the poised portrait of the actress Mademoiselle Alençon, it the era's fascination with theater stars, blending celebrity culture with commercial savvy. Printed via the albumen process—a silver-based photographic technique popula...
About the Artist
W. Duke, Sons & Co.|American Tobacco Company · 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...