Mlle. Devaux, Paris, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

Editor: This is an albumen print of Mlle. Devaux, a Parisian actress, from sometime between 1886 and 1890. It’s part of a series of promotional trading cards for Old Judge Cigarettes. I find it intriguing that an image like this would be used to sell tobacco. What stands out to you? Curator: Well, firstly the wheat. It appears in her hat, on her chest, and even outlining her skirt. One wonders about its meaning. The Old Judge brand wanted to subtly associate their cigarettes with abundance and prosperity, which is not out of place in our capitalistic culture. This photograph isn’t simply about capturing an actress, it is creating a desirable cultural artifact, a souvenir of popular culture associated with this very accessible commercial product. Editor: So you're saying the wheat wasn’t just decorative, but a symbol deliberately chosen to suggest wealth? Curator: Precisely! And consider her demure, almost saintly gaze combined with the alluring fashion of the day. This created an interesting juxtaposition: innocent yet alluring. Are we selling virtue or vice, or are those always entangled? Consider too that actresses were, at the time, often figures of controversy, admired, yet sometimes viewed with suspicion. Editor: That's a good point. This cigarette card offered a curated image that attempted to control public perception of actresses. By softening it through idealized, familiar, symbolic representations, Goodwin and Company ensured better sales. It is clever, if a bit insidious! Curator: Exactly! A cultural symbol packaged and commodified, very telling of the era and of human nature itself. Editor: I learned a lot today by looking deeply at what the symbols represent beyond their surface. Thanks!