Fräulein Zimmermann, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Allen & Ginter created this lithograph trading card of Fräulein Zimmermann for Virginia Brights Cigarettes, part of the Actors and Actresses series. These cards existed within a burgeoning consumer culture, where advertising became entwined with representations of celebrity and identity. This image encapsulates the constraints and performances of femininity at the turn of the century, when Fräulein Zimmermann, an actress, became a commodity, packaged and sold with cigarettes. Her elaborate hat and refined pose speak to the performance of class and respectability expected of women in the public eye. This depiction, while seemingly celebrating her success, simultaneously reduces her to a mere image, a token in the service of commerce. What does it mean to be a woman, an actress, a commodity? Zimmermann's gaze drifts off as if in contemplation or perhaps, a quiet rebellion against the constraints of her representation. The Actors and Actresses series reflects societal expectations of women in the public sphere, while subtly acknowledging the complexities and compromises inherent in navigating such a world.