May Bardell Dressed as Woman From the Island of Rotti, Oceanica, from the set Actors and Actresses, Second Series (N71) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888 - 1890

This lithograph, created around 1870 by W. Duke, Sons & Co. for cigarette cards, features May Bardell costumed as a woman from Rotti Island. The image is replete with symbols that echo across cultures and ages. The most striking is the head adornment, a segmented cap reminiscent of ancient crowns and headbands, symbolizing authority or status. Think of the 'diadem' in ancient Greece, a cloth band tied around the head by royalty, or the many variations of headdresses across time. These emblems speak to our primal need to categorize and signal roles within a society. The diadem appears in numerous guises, from the simple bands of early rulers to the elaborate crowns of medieval monarchs. Note how, like the symbolic weight of the image, this evolves and resurfaces, perpetually adapting to the needs and fantasies of each new era. This reflects our collective subconscious desire for order and hierarchy.