Dutailly, Variettees, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Editor: Here we have a lithograph print from between 1885 and 1891 by Allen & Ginter, titled "Dutailly, Variettees". It’s an advertisement for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. The woman has a kind expression and her face is lovely. What significance do you think images of actresses on cigarette cards had at the time? Curator: Ah, a potent symbol! Consider the actress: in the late 19th century, a figure of spectacle, embodying transformation and the projection of desires. The cigarette, also a signifier – of modernity, leisure, and a certain rebellious freedom. Juxtapose the two! This card wove them together. How did these actresses function in the cultural imagination? Editor: As role models perhaps? Or at least as figures people admired and wanted to emulate? Curator: Exactly! By placing these actresses on cigarette cards, companies cleverly transferred that sense of aspiration onto their product. Each actress then, became a sort of 'brand ambassador' imbuing Virginia Brights Cigarettes with allure and sophistication, suggesting the smoker could participate in that world of glamour. Editor: So it's not just a portrait; it's about connecting to an aspirational lifestyle. I hadn't considered that. Curator: Precisely! And look closely— the image is idealized, stylized— a performance of femininity intended to sell a fantasy, rather than depict raw reality. Each detail, carefully selected and rendered, helped craft a narrative that connected to its consumer. What sort of emotional associations do you suppose it activated at the time? Editor: I suppose the suggestion of sophistication and status would have appealed to people. This has opened my eyes to the many cultural layers packed into what seemed like a simple image! Curator: Indeed. These objects hold cultural memory, if we only learn to read the visual language they speak.