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

This small card, part of Allen & Ginter's series for Virginia Brights Cigarettes, features the actress Genie Jerome. The portrait, sepia-toned, captures Jerome in a moment of poised elegance, framed by a soft, wide-brimmed hat. Her gaze, averted yet intent, reminds us of the ancient motif of the melancholic muse—a figure contemplating the depths of artistic inspiration. Consider, for instance, the countless depictions of muses in classical art, their pensiveness a symbol of profound creative insight. But here, in this modern format, the muse is transformed into a marketable image, a commodity. The gesture of looking away, a signifier of inner thought, has traversed time, finding echoes in Renaissance portraits and Romantic-era paintings. It speaks to our deep-seated fascination with the internal lives of others. The actress, like the muse, becomes a canvas for our projections, a mirror reflecting our own desires and aspirations. The collective memory imbues these images with an enduring power, engaging viewers on a subconscious level. And so, this small card, seemingly a trivial object, reveals the cyclical progression of symbols, their constant resurfacing and evolution within different historical contexts.