Lillie Howard, Corsair Co./ Blanche Thornton/ Laura Curtis, Corsair Co./ Fannie Batchelder, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 4) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Curator: Four actresses, pinned onto one card. There's a strange sense of claustrophobia and uniformity in this format; who do you think of when you see it? Editor: Instantly, it speaks to the objectification and commodification of women, especially performers, during the late 19th century. Titled "Lillie Howard, Corsair Co./ Blanche Thornton/ Laura Curtis, Corsair Co./ Fannie Batchelder" from the "Actors and Actresses series", it's fascinating how these women were essentially used as marketing tools for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. Curator: A miniature shrine, almost, for fleeting moments of on-stage delight. What fascinates me is how this, originally a small print, manages to monumentalize these figures in a way. Each of them gazes out, not quite connecting with the viewer but holding our attention still. Do you get the same sense of… detachment? Editor: Absolutely. The drawing-print-photography combination creates a layer of artificiality that distances us from any real sense of the women as individuals. These aren’t portraits as much as representations, ideals packaged and sold. Look at the corsets! Talk about performative constraint. Curator: Yes! Allen & Ginter created this in between 1885 and 1891. Such an ordinary, utilitarian medium – advertising ephemera – used to showcase feminine allure. I also can't help thinking about who was meant to look at it. All men, likely. Editor: Precisely, and understanding that context is critical. The male gaze is embedded in the production and consumption of this card. It begs the question: were these actresses collaborators, or merely subjects? Were they compensated fairly, or were their images simply appropriated? Curator: Food for thought! And this 'packaging' also touches something inside us today, no? I almost want to set them free... cut out around each shape! Editor: Yes! In viewing them now, though, it is important to see this art beyond the aesthetic. By unpacking these complicated elements of power, we allow a space where change is still possible, right now, not only within art, but within our current culture. Curator: So much, in such a small format! Thank you, as always. Editor: My pleasure.