Murdock, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

Curator: Allow me to introduce “Murdock, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes," a rather unique albumen print created between 1886 and 1890 by Goodwin & Company. You’ll find it residing here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: It has this languid, almost melancholy feel, doesn't it? The pose is so deliberately artful, like a Victorian-era influencer striking their best pose. It’s all muted sepia tones and a general air of staged romance. Curator: Indeed. As an albumen print, the gradations within that sepia tonality are significant. Notice the composition: Murdock is leaning, seemingly exhausted but artfully so. The diagonal lines formed by her body and the fence create a dynamic tension against the otherwise static backdrop. Editor: She looks a little world-weary, almost. Like she’s seen one too many curtain calls, you know? The clothing and draped fabrics give it a theatrical flair. It speaks to a life performed. Curator: The performance is key. These cards were meant to be collected and traded, miniature portraits of fame circulating within a burgeoning consumer culture. The stark contrast between her face and the darker costume focuses the eye, reinforcing her celebrity status. Editor: There’s something slightly subversive about the whole thing, too. Placing this rather pensive image on something as prosaic as a cigarette card? It's like mixing high art and low commerce. Do you think that's intentional? Curator: It is a purposeful collapse of the divide between art and advertisement, typical of the era's commercial prints. Its impact lies in its function: disseminating images widely, blurring boundaries between the stage and everyday life. It asks us to consider the semiotics of fame, perhaps, as they were just forming. Editor: Thinking about it, this humble cigarette card might be more honest than a modern Instagram post. She just IS in it, you know? And there’s this very poignant awareness about it all... Anyway, it’s nice when things connect after so long, even if the connection started as someone selling cancer sticks! Curator: A fitting epilogue, reminding us that context shapes our understanding and appreciation. Each gaze offers fresh interpretation to these layered impressions within our cultural archive.