From the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 5) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This promotional card from the "Actors and Actresses" series, distributed by Virginia Brights Cigarettes, presents us with an intriguing figure. The woman’s theatrical garb and poised demeanor speak to the spectacle of performance, a carefully constructed image designed to captivate. Consider the gesture of her hand resting near her waist. Throughout art history, similar poses appear in depictions of royalty and mythological figures, signaling control and self-assurance. Yet, here, in the context of a cigarette card, it takes on a new dimension, one of accessible glamour intended to sell a product. Such shifts in meaning are not linear but cyclical. The motifs of power and allure, once reserved for gods and monarchs, filter down, adapted and re-contextualized, into the everyday imagery of commerce. This illustrates our human tendency to imbue even the most mundane objects with echoes of deeper, more primal narratives.