Card 408, Minnie Palmer and L. Chester, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Curator: This rather charming carte-de-visite is "Card 408, Minnie Palmer and L. Chester, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes," made between 1885 and 1891. Editor: The light in this photographic print is so evenly distributed, and the two figures are compelling in their stillness. The texture of their clothing looks heavy and plush. Curator: Exactly. These cards were trade cards, produced as promotional items inserted into cigarette packs, distributed by Allen & Ginter of Richmond, Virginia. These were often images of actresses and actors meant to draw attention to changing roles for women. Editor: Interesting! There's something self-assured in their poses that certainly reflects the women breaking new ground in theater. There is something in their gestures – the mirror reflecting, the object held by the actress on the right- which reminds me of Victorian tropes used to portray marriage as well. Curator: Well, yes. The subject certainly allows for that interpretation as well. Often actresses were seen as either being chaste mothers/brides or scandalous "others," a Madonna/whore type of dualism that was very damaging. I also can't help but wonder what implications it had back then showing white actresses advertising for products by Allen & Ginter, a company established in the Confederate South following the American Civil War and in the height of Jim Crow segregation. Editor: But what of their relationship? They could simply be mirror images or doubles! The composition is set so we are invited to move left to right to scan the faces. It’s a fascinating play with light and form. Curator: And a reminder that even a seemingly innocuous advertisement can reveal complicated social dynamics. They serve as artifacts worthy of further analysis. Editor: The tension within that delicate balance is indeed very telling of a wider complex web!