Actress from the Old Judge series (N167) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886

This small, mass-produced card, created by Goodwin & Company, presents a portrait from the "Old Judge" series, meant to promote cigarettes. Note the actress's hairstyle. Those tight, controlled curls evoke classical sculptures, harking back to the idealized beauty of ancient Greece and Rome. We see echoes of Aphrodite's coiffure, a goddess whose allure has captivated artists for millennia, continuously resurfacing through various epochs. Yet, here, she’s not a deity but an actress, a performer. The gaze directed slightly upwards recalls the dramatic flair of theatrical portraiture. This card captures a moment in the ongoing dialogue between classical ideals and contemporary culture. It is as though the past is constantly seeking new forms in which to express itself, each era reimagining its visual vocabulary to reflect the zeitgeist.