Card Number 22, cut-out from banner advertising the Opera Gloves series (G29) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1885 - 1895

Editor: Here we have a quirky little promotional card, "Card Number 22, cut-out from banner advertising the Opera Gloves series" by Allen & Ginter, dating back to between 1885 and 1895. It's a fascinating artifact. The way the portrait is held by the glove feels quite playful. What catches your eye, and how do you approach such a unique piece? Curator: Well, my dear, doesn't it just whisper stories of a bygone era? I see a delicious slice of advertising history, wrapped in the aesthetics of its time. The image of a hand – a rather opulent, verdant, glove-clad hand, mind you – presenting a portrait of a young woman, it's pure theater! It speaks to a culture that delighted in presentation, where even selling cigarettes could be elevated to an art form. Don’t you think the glove, almost cartoonish in its form, adds a layer of playful unreality? Editor: I do, it's so unexpected! And the portrait itself is quite charming, almost demure. How does the Art Nouveau style factor into its appeal? Curator: Ah, Art Nouveau, that whimsical dance of flowing lines and natural motifs! Here, though subtle, it informs the card’s decorative elements – that rhythmic border, for instance. But more profoundly, it reflects a broader desire to infuse everyday life with beauty. It's not just selling gloves or cigarettes; it's offering a little jewel of beauty in a grimy, industrial world. Now, what do you make of that curious 'No. 22' at the cuff? Any thoughts on why it's so prominently displayed? Editor: Maybe it was part of a collectable set? I’m guessing they wanted people to collect them all! Curator: Precisely! A little bit of advertising ingenuity to encourage more purchases and interaction with their product. That tension between art and commerce, don’t you find it utterly enthralling? Editor: I do, it is such an eye-opener, thinking about these images as an experience from a long-gone world. Curator: Absolutely, to see the ways advertisers then co-opted and deployed art, a cultural form so close to everyday life in such clever little cards, makes them timeless jewels.