Card Number 54, Agnes Folsom, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-6) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

Editor: This is a portrait card from the 1880s, "Card Number 54, Agnes Folsom," part of the "Actors and Actresses series" by Duke Sons & Co., promoting Duke Cigarettes. It combines photography and print techniques. It has such an antiquated and commercial look to it! What do you see in this piece beyond its immediate advertising purpose? Curator: Beyond its advertisement aspect, I see a complex intersection of gender, performance, and burgeoning consumer culture. Folsom, presented here, becomes a commodity herself, her image used to sell cigarettes, tapping into a growing fascination with actresses and the theater. How does this interplay of identity and marketing strike you? Editor: It's unsettling, to be honest. Agnes Folsom's identity seems almost appropriated, reduced to a selling point. Does this connect with larger social power dynamics of that time? Curator: Absolutely. We need to consider this within the context of the Gilded Age: vast wealth accumulation alongside stark inequality. Folsom's image, circulated widely, reinforces a particular standard of feminine beauty and aspiration, one largely inaccessible to most women. Do you think her pose and attire play into this at all? Editor: I do, her dress looks so elaborate. And that corset seems… restrictive. So the image not only sells cigarettes but also reinforces existing societal expectations. Curator: Precisely. The corset literally and figuratively confines her, reflecting the limited roles available to women at the time, even as actresses enjoyed a certain level of fame. Considering this, does it change your initial perspective on the artwork? Editor: It does. Seeing it as more than just a portrait card, it shows a concentrated reflection of the period's values and tensions surrounding women's representation. Curator: And hopefully, prompts reflection on the legacy of these dynamics within contemporary advertising and representation. Editor: Absolutely, it’s interesting how this image can be used to promote critical conversation and contextual thinking.