Miss Williamson, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-7) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

Editor: Here we have "Miss Williamson, from the Actors and Actresses series," a print from the 1880s, made by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes. There’s something melancholic about her gaze, almost as if she knows she's become a symbol for something so fleeting. What do you make of it? Curator: Fleeting, yes, like the smoke she’s implicitly selling! But look closer. This isn’t just a pretty picture; it’s a time capsule. Imagine, this tiny card, distributed with cigarettes, now residing in the Met! There's an undeniable beauty in its construction, the sepia tones whispering stories of a bygone era of theatre, stardom, and blatant commercialism. How does the impression of intimacy and artifice strike you? Editor: The contrast is interesting. It feels posed, yet intimate, as if we've caught her in a private moment, which feels very contradictory. And I do wonder if Miss Williamson knew this image would live on for so long. Curator: Exactly! That tension is where the magic resides. And think about what it meant to be an actress at that time—the tightrope walk between respectability and spectacle. Her gentle features offer an unexpected vulnerability. This fragility invites speculation, right? Editor: It does, definitely makes you think. All this from a cigarette card! Curator: Art finds its way into the oddest corners, doesn't it? This unassuming print is an accidental artwork. The magic is how a commercial artifact becomes an object of lasting beauty and intrigue, reminding us that art isn't always what we expect it to be. Editor: I see it now. Thanks to this "fragile" commercial print I might quit smoking now! Curator: (laughs) If art inspires health, then it truly is transformative!