Card Number 594, Miss Adelaide Datchon, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-3) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This card from Duke Sons & Co., produced around 1900, features Miss Adelaide Datchon in profile. It’s hard to miss her coiffure. Her hair is neatly arranged in an updo, a style that speaks volumes about the late 19th-century fascination with order and elegance. This particular hairstyle is not new; it resonates with the ‘Greek knot’ seen in ancient sculptures and Roman portraits. The act of elevating the hair becomes more than just a fashion statement; it's an assertion of social identity. The subtle twist of the fabric, the delicate exposure of the neck – each element plays into a game of revealing and concealing. It's as if Miss Datchon, through her carefully constructed image, invites us to partake in a narrative that stretches beyond her presence on this card. This enduring motif shows us how deeply the past resonates within our present.