Costumes of All Nations [Tobacco Advertising, Cigarette Cards]

Item Details

Durham, N.C., W. Duke, Sons & Co.,, [1888], Stapled illustrated wraps

First Edition, Very Good

VICTORIAN THEATER, COSTUME, AND TOBACCO ADVERTISING THROUGH COLLECTIBLE IMAGES
An illustrated advertising album reproducing the W. Duke & Sons cigarette card series Costumes of All Nations.

The album presents portraits of theatrical performers and figures in historical and national costumes, reflecting the nineteenth-century fascination with stage performance, celebrity culture, and collectible advertising imagery. Printed in vibrant chromolithography, the album transforms cigarette advertising into a visual record of Victorian theater, costume, and popular culture.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Original illustrated stapled wrappers. 17 by 26 cm (6.75 by 10.25 inches). 22 leaves printed on versos only. Profusely illustrated with color lithographed portraits and costume illustrations. Lithographed by Knapp & Co., New York.

CONDITION: Very Good. Original wrappers with some creasing and soiling; approximately 1.5-inch strip of the rear cover lacking at the outer edge. Staples rusted. Interior plates remain clean and bright with occasional minor corner creasing.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: VICTORIAN CELEBRITY CULTURE PRESERVED THROUGH TOBACCO CARDS.
Cigarette card albums were an important form of late nineteenth-century advertising, transforming commercial promotion into collectible illustrated works. Duke's Costumes of All Nations combines tobacco history, theatrical culture, costume studies, and chromolithographic printing in a format intended for preservation and display.

RECOGNITION AND LEGACY:
The album provides a visual record of Victorian-era popular culture, preserving images connected to theatrical performers and the broader nineteenth-century interest in costume, international identity, and celebrity portraiture.

SUBJECTS: Tobacco Advertising, Cigarette Cards, Victorian Advertising, Costume History, Theater History, Actor Portraits, Chromolithography, Pictorial Works, Popular Culture.

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