From the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 5) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Curator: My first impression is...faded glamour. There’s a delicacy, almost a spectral quality. Editor: Let's contextualize that impression. What you're seeing is part of a series of portrait cards of actresses, called “From the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 5) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes.” It was created between 1885 and 1891 by Allen & Ginter. Curator: Actresses as collectibles – it's funny to imagine chasing them down like baseball cards! What was the relationship between stardom and commercialism like then, I wonder? Editor: These trade cards were very much a part of building celebrity culture. Allen & Ginter distributed these portraits in cigarette packs. Consider how the consumption of tobacco, traditionally associated with masculinity, is intertwined with images of idealized femininity and how these types of marketing techniques reinforced prevailing gender roles. Curator: That contrast hits sharply when looking at it, the fragility of the image paired with the brash marketing tactic of cigarette ads. This contrast sort of emphasizes how women’s beauty was a commodity at this moment in history. Editor: Exactly. The photographic medium here is worth noting as well, photography at this time, while gaining ground, was also often manipulated to present idealized versions of sitters in very staged and artificial settings. What could this mean for our understanding of identity today? Curator: It does makes you question how we interpret celebrity and fame today! There’s also this haunting sense of temporality in the photographic process… how can we view such ephemeral material today with an informed gaze? Editor: A really pertinent point and this image can give space for a more comprehensive dialogue concerning how society at large participates in these economies of seeing. This card is presently located in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It serves as a fascinating glimpse into both advertising strategies and representational norms. Curator: Makes you realize the layers of intention and cultural context embedded within even the most unassuming little objects, doesn't it? A simple portrait becomes a portal to understanding complex dynamics. Editor: It truly does! I am struck by how relevant this little cigarette card continues to be even after well over a century since its distribution.