Card Number 92, Miss Woodsworth, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This small card, made by W. Duke Sons & Co., presents Miss Woodsworth, an actress of her time, framed within an advertisement for Cross Cut Cigarettes. The image is rich with symbols of femininity and theatricality. Consider her elaborate attire, a visual echo of the attire in portraits of noble women throughout art history. The dress, adorned with frills and a delicate hat, speaks to an era of elaborate social rituals and performances, not unlike the gestures found in Renaissance paintings of the female form. The very act of presenting Miss Woodsworth in such a manner reflects a deeper cultural impulse to elevate and idealize the actress. Even the act of sitting with hands clasped suggests restraint and composure, a pose that contrasts with the dynamic, expressive nature of her profession. These symbols intertwine, revealing the complex interplay between public image and private persona, a theme that continues to resonate in our own image-saturated age. The cigarette card, therefore, becomes a small window into the ever-evolving dance between identity, performance, and memory.