Card 735, Daisy Murdoch, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 2) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Editor: This is "Card 735, Daisy Murdoch" from the Actors and Actresses series, made sometime between 1885 and 1891 by Allen & Ginter. It’s a small print, sepia-toned and slightly faded, giving it a very nostalgic feel. It looks like it was part of a cigarette card series? What’s most striking to you when you look at this image? Curator: Immediately, I see a carefully constructed representation of femininity within the visual language of the late 19th century. Consider the context: cigarette cards. These were not high art, but rather circulated widely. What symbolic work might this image be doing to sell cigarettes? Editor: Hmm, I hadn’t thought of it like that. Maybe linking smoking with an idea of feminine beauty and leisure? She does look quite relaxed, sitting there by the water. Curator: Precisely! The choice of Daisy Murdoch as a subject isn't arbitrary. As an actress, she already carries connotations of beauty and theatricality. Notice, too, the water and floral motifs. These symbols of purity and natural beauty are subtly interwoven with the image of a woman promoting a product considered somewhat transgressive for women at the time. This contrast is loaded. What unspoken stories do you think it tells? Editor: It's making me think about the rise of consumer culture, and how women's images were being used in advertising to tap into larger societal values... almost like the cigarettes were being blessed by her image! Curator: Exactly. These seemingly simple images are fascinating cultural artifacts. The composition, the symbolism – everything plays a part in constructing and perpetuating certain ideas. What do you make of how it connects with today's culture? Editor: It’s interesting how even now, we still use images to sell ideas and lifestyles as much as products, borrowing heavily from similar symbols. I'll never look at an old advertisement the same way again. Curator: And hopefully, that’s a step toward recognizing the symbolic weight of even the most mundane imagery around us today.