Card Number 136, Fay Templeton, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

Curator: This captivating artifact is a photography print dating back to the 1880s, from a series promoting Cross Cut Cigarettes, issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. The card features actress Fay Templeton, and its title is “Card Number 136, Fay Templeton, from the Actors and Actresses series.” Editor: Oh, there’s such a dreamlike aura. The soft sepia tones are doing something really profound for me. She’s pulling back the curtain on, what… show business? The world itself? Curator: Perhaps a hint of both, given the era. The presentation of actresses and actors on cigarette cards speaks to a democratization of celebrity, intertwining entertainment with everyday habits, and embedding itself into cultural memory. Editor: Like the saints on icon cards… But I mean, imagine someone carrying around your image inside their cigarette packet. The intimacy! Talk about embedding. Is there some kind of magic in there? I'm getting shivers. Curator: Indeed. We often find this dynamic with portraiture through time, of course, particularly of idealized feminine archetypes. In this case, Templeton, framed by a soft glow and striking pose, embodies glamour, aspiration, but also availability as both a public performer and, more commercially, the promise of pleasure from the Duke Company. Editor: You can practically hear the music. The fringe detailing—it makes her look like a star, almost heavenly, if that makes any sense in connection to cigarettes, even, you know, in the Victorian era. Curator: Fascinating how this form can transform the profane into the sacred, in a sense. Or rather, exploits it in an interesting synthesis. Templeton’s presentation underscores the commercialisation of dreams. We can speculate how those purchasing cigarettes experienced her image as aspirational in this period of considerable social transformation. Editor: It all just adds up to this feeling of wistful glamor, doesn't it? It's a fleeting moment caught forever, a tiny card promising so much more. Curator: A tangible encapsulation of Victorian ambition. An image pregnant with meaning. Editor: I think, at the end of it all, this image whispers about the ever-elusive dance between the everyday and the sublime, doesn't it?