Fencing - Master, from the Occupations for Women series (N166) for Old Judge and Dogs Head Cigarettes 1887

This chromolithograph of a “Fencing - Master” was made in the United States by Goodwin & Company as part of a series of cigarette cards that imagine different occupations for women. The image presents a modern woman participating in a traditionally male sport, with her fencing equipment arranged like trophies around her. What does it mean to see women in new roles like this? Such cards reflect the tensions of the late nineteenth century, when transformations in the economic structure led to anxieties about traditional gender roles. You can see a lot about the values of the time in the ways this figure is designed to appeal to consumers: not too radical, not too masculine, but attractive and idealized. The historical analysis of images like these relies on a broad understanding of the social and economic factors behind their production and consumption. Old advertisements and trade publications, alongside statistics about employment and gender, can help us better understand this artwork as a reflection of its time.