Card Number 185, Mlle. Marson, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-5) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes 1880s

Curator: Looking at this photograph, "Card Number 185, Mlle. Marson," it becomes clear that it wasn't intended as merely a portrait, but as a trade card for Duke's Cameo Cigarettes sometime in the 1880s. The photograph is a simple publicity still, preserved at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: I must admit, my immediate response is one of amusement and also curiosity. There is something almost playfully assertive in her pose and the costume she wears, an intriguing choice given it's being used to sell tobacco products. Curator: Indeed, trade cards often served multiple purposes. On one hand, these kinds of cards, picturing famous actresses, sport figures, or cultural icons, fueled collecting crazes, and cigarette companies benefited. However, beyond that, this card captures something of the cultural climate around female performers in the late 19th century, and how they were being viewed and marketed in a rapidly industrializing world. Editor: Let us focus a moment on the figure herself. There are clear, potent theatrical codes at work here. Her gaze feels remarkably direct. Is it meant to entice? And then one begins to decode that fascinating striped sash—a common visual for vaudeville players that becomes something more peculiar out of context. It also appears her entire performance is set within this staged backdrop including faux classical details. Curator: Absolutely. Consider that cigarette cards often served as miniature galleries for working-class people, bringing images of celebrities and far-off places into their everyday lives. Duke utilized popular performers such as Mlle. Marson to cultivate associations with sophistication, leisure, and aspirational lifestyles that would appeal to the buying public. Editor: In that way, this is a clever visual argument for association. Buy these cigarettes, and align yourself to the charisma and lifestyle of someone like Mlle. Marson. I leave with this notion of visual accessibility. Curator: The confluence of visual strategy, commodification, and a growing market. Not unlike our digital era, now that I reflect.