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

This is Mlle. Derby, Paris, from the Actors and Actresses series, a trade card created by Goodwin & Company as an advertisement for Old Judge Cigarettes. Note the delicate lace of her dress and the soft fur muff; the textiles alone speak volumes about the societal standing of the sitter, signaling wealth, luxury and status in late nineteenth-century Paris. Such garments became potent symbols of aspiration. Think of Botticelli's Venus, whose nudity, partially veiled by her long hair, echoes through time, finding new expression here in the partially exposed Mlle. Derby. This motif transcends epochs, resurfacing in myriad forms, mirroring society’s ever-shifting gaze on beauty and desire. These symbolic visual languages are never truly lost but are continuously reinterpreted and reborn.