Card Number 47, De Sotie, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This card, made by W. Duke, Sons & Co., to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes, captures the actress De Sotie in the guise of a dancer. The dancer, a prevalent symbol of grace and skill, also reminds us of the figure of the muse in classical antiquity. The dancer’s movements have long been intertwined with expressions of ecstasy and emotional release. Consider the whirling dervishes, whose spinning is a form of prayer, or the frenzied dances associated with Dionysian rituals. Here, De Sotie's poised stance belies the energy inherent in dance, channeling primal expressions through stylized movement. The pose is both controlled and suggestive of boundless energy; her feet are planted but ready to spring. Even in stillness, the dancer carries the potential for dynamic movement, echoing humanity’s enduring need to give shape to subconscious impulses. The dancer emerges, like a symbolic force, continually returning and reshaping itself.