Mlle. Nordrum, 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
63.350.208.145.8.198
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, companies like W. Duke, Sons & Co.—later part of the American Tobacco—transformed cigarette packs into collectible treasures by including small photographic cards. "Mlle. Nordrum, from the Actors and Act series (N145-8)," issued around 1891, exemplifies this clever marketing. This diminutive albumen photograph (just 2 11/16 × 1 3/8 inches) captures the poised elegance of the actress Mlle. Nordrum, one of many performers featured to appeal to fans and boost brand loyalty amid fierce competition in the burgeoning U.S. cigarette market. Albumen prints, made by coating p...
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...