Miss Farrance, 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
63.350.208.145.8.114
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the glittering world of 1890s theater with *Miss Farrance*, a portrait from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8), issued by W. Duke, & Co. to promote their Duke Cigarettes. This albumen photograph, measuring just 2 11/16 × 1 3/8 inches, captures the poised elegance of the actress, likely in costume or studio pose, embodying the era's fascination with stage stars. Produced around 189, it was one of collectible cards tucked into packs, transforming everyday smoking a hunt for celebrity keepsakes. Albumen prints, made by coating paper with egg whites and silver salts, were the gold...
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...