Card Number 113, Myra Goodman, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

Curator: Take a moment to consider "Card Number 113, Myra Goodman," dating to the 1880s. This print comes to us from a series of actor and actress cards produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as advertisement for Cross Cut Cigarettes. It's currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: At first glance, there’s an inherent dissonance in its presentation—the playful elegance of the posed figure contrasted with the hard commercialism. The umbrella boldly displaying "Cross Cut Cigarettes" strikes a strange note against the actress’s frilly dress and composed demeanor. Curator: Indeed. These cards circulated widely, often collected and traded. So the image becomes a commodity, both in its explicit advertising function and as a piece of social currency. Consider the production: mass-produced images designed to be handled, displayed, and ultimately consumed, just like the cigarettes they promoted. Editor: Focusing on the formal aspects, the sepia tones give it a soft, nostalgic quality, although likely reflecting limitations in the photographic printing techniques of the time. My eye is drawn to the textural play: the smooth satin ribbons versus the patterns in her dress, the metallic grid behind her. It's an image crafted for immediate visual impact. Curator: It reflects a fascinating convergence of celebrity culture, the burgeoning advertising industry, and evolving printing technologies. The distribution model is particularly relevant; placing art, albeit in commercial form, into the hands of the masses reveals much about the culture of the era and its approach to commodity and consumerism. Editor: It’s almost like an early form of the meme. A quick, repeatable image intended to be widely disseminated and readily consumed, while at the same time it seems so very precious, framed on cardstock, handled reverently and collected. Curator: A captivating observation. So this simple photograph functions not only as promotional material but also embodies shifting social relationships within a quickly developing industrialized and consumer-driven society. Editor: Absolutely, a multi-layered and ultimately compelling artifact of its time. I am grateful to have had the chance to look again at it.