Mlle. Dauville, Paris, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

Curator: Looking at this image, I’m struck by how much it seems to play with notions of exoticism. Editor: Yes, I felt it too when I first saw this. I find the composition intriguing—a sepia-toned figure, reminiscent of early photography. Who are we seeing exactly? Curator: We are viewing “Mlle. Dauville, Paris, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes,” dating from around 1886 to 1890. It's a print drawing produced by Goodwin & Company. The image shows the actress dressed in costume, presumably from a performance. The item itself, though artistic, existed as trade advertising, distributed with cigarette packs. Editor: Right. So the symbols, then: what’s going on with her costume? Is she an Amazonian warrior or perhaps evoking a sense of French colonial fantasy? It's such a simplified rendering, yet the details—the textured skirt, the staff, the large hat—seem loaded with implications. Curator: Exactly. I think her depiction has less to do with ethnographic accuracy and much more to do with constructing and reinforcing the public's perception of female identity and "the Other" at that time. What narratives are subtly enforced, as well as which hierarchies, and to what effect? Editor: Absolutely, the pose, the "primitive" costume--it all seems calculated to evoke a specific set of assumptions and expectations. It is telling that a generalized exotic image like this one helped to sell cigarettes and that consumers related so quickly. Did they desire to go on similar “adventures”? Did they already have some fixed beliefs about Parisians? Curator: Consider, also, the male gaze in constructing the performance persona. What does the male ownership of a cigarette product like "Old Judge" tell us about how the advertisers saw their audience? Or more particularly how it relates to broader ideas about women, public image, consumption, and desire? This seems like a window onto gendered socio-political dynamics during the period of imperial expansion. Editor: I see what you mean; reading it as a lens for understanding the gender politics interwoven with the product promotion. So, much more than a picture promoting cigarettes. A powerful symbol for studying both gender roles and commodity consumption! Curator: Indeed. When you think of how many of these cards were produced, consumed, traded, you understand that each one helped consolidate not just a commercial image, but also a societal understanding. Editor: Thank you. It provides such a great insight!