Miss Everson, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

Editor: So this is a portrait card of Miss Everson, one from the "Actors and Actresses" series by Goodwin & Company, printed sometime between 1886 and 1890. The sepia tones give it such a vintage feel, and the texture is lovely, even reproduced here. What kind of stories do you think it tells, looking at it now? Curator: The real story here lies not just in Miss Everson’s likeness but in its function. As a trade card tucked into cigarette packs, her image became part of a broader symbolic system associating consumption with glamour. She, unwittingly perhaps, became a symbol of aspiration, linking performance and celebrity with everyday desires. Notice the "Old Judge Cigarettes" logo – it’s a brand affiliation and also an embedded symbol of that era's ideals. It served the company's need to align the consumer with beauty and leisure. What do you think this commodification of beauty and fame reveals about society back then? Editor: I guess it shows how advertising quickly latched onto popular culture. To think of a portrait becoming this portable object, essentially trading on someone's fame to sell cigarettes… Curator: Precisely. And that's the layered image for me. Miss Everson, an actress whose performances probably touched on themes of love, loss, or even humour – now, her face facilitates a totally different kind of performance, as an object for sale within a commodity spectacle. Are there any traces of *her* persona left, or does she become only a tool in a marketing strategy? Editor: That's a sobering way to look at it. I’m not sure. Perhaps a little of both. Curator: Absolutely! It brings a complex layering of historical memory, isn't it? It helps understand not only the culture of the time, but the beginning of what it means to be a celebrity. Editor: Yes! I see what you mean. Thanks for opening my eyes to all these layers!