Card 692, Marie Wilcox, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 2) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Curator: Looking at this small card, I’m struck by the stark contrast in textures and the sepia tones. The image feels somewhat ephemeral, yet undeniably captivating. Editor: Indeed. This is a trade card produced between 1885 and 1891 by Allen & Ginter, as part of their "Actors and Actresses" series, specifically card number 692 featuring Marie Wilcox. These cards, albumen prints actually, were included in packs of Virginia Brights Cigarettes. Curator: Albumen prints… think of the industrial processes involved, the careful manipulation of egg whites to create that light-sensitive layer! And packaged with cigarettes no less, mass produced for consumption. Editor: Precisely. It highlights the complex interplay between commerce and culture. These cards were instrumental in shaping celebrity culture, promoting actors like Marie Wilcox to a broader public. Curator: The social politics woven into something as simple as cigarette packaging… fascinating. It makes you wonder about Wilcox herself, what roles did she play and what did she earn for them, and how does this trade card affect the perception of female performers in that time? Editor: Absolutely. And considering its placement within a tobacco product, the card becomes an object of both pleasure and commerce, shaping and reinforcing prevailing social ideals and encouraging wider spread distribution through nicotine addiction. The cards offered status and celebrity in miniature form. Curator: It really pulls back the curtain, showing how deeply enmeshed art and industry were, even back then. The choice of materials, albumen for its clarity, paper mass-produced to make it more available to the population. Editor: Indeed. And it invites us to examine the subtle yet profound impact that popular imagery has on public perception and cultural identity and consumerism. It certainly elevates tobacco’s popularity with depictions of success and prosperity. Curator: Ultimately, looking at this little card of Marie Wilcox, I’m struck by how material culture and photography can reveal not just faces and fashions, but also, in ways of working, systems, beliefs, power, and labour! Editor: For me, this humble trade card provides an insightful lens through which to examine the public role of art, media, and their capacity to mold celebrity culture and society.