Plate 20, from the Fans of the Period series (N7) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1889

Curator: So, here we have "Plate 20, from the Fans of the Period series," created in 1889 for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. It’s a print, a watercolor really, that currently resides at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: Oh, how delightful! It has the air of a porcelain doll—vaguely unsettling and overly ornate. The fan dominates everything. Curator: Indeed. The fan is a key element. Beyond its obvious practical use, it serves as a symbol of status, coquetry, even a language in itself. Think of it as an early form of non-verbal communication; a whole series of gestures and positions could convey messages. Editor: Like a silent flirtation technique? Clever! And the size of the hat just amplifies the theatrical nature of the piece. It feels… purposefully extravagant. Like a statement, perhaps? Curator: Precisely. These cards, you see, were collected. And the exaggerated features, the caricature, played a part in that collectibility. Allen & Ginter understood the appeal of visual spectacle in the burgeoning age of mass media. Editor: So it's an artwork that's also advertising? Does the image on the fan have meaning or just act as a splash of more decoration? Curator: Both! Decorative art served the aims of advertising. It is also likely that it represents period-specific motifs that the public would recognize and then assign value to it based on trends. It’s a feedback loop of design! It taps into pre-existing cultural understanding. Editor: Interesting. Thinking about our current media landscape makes you think just how clever marketing has become through symbol manipulation. Curator: And just how little things have changed since 1889, really! I find it incredibly interesting. Editor: Absolutely, you can spot traces of it today. This exercise of combining symbol reading to something ordinary has brought it to life. Thank you.