Helen Tracy, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

Editor: This is "Helen Tracy," a photograph, specifically a trade card, from the Actors and Actresses series produced by Goodwin & Company for Old Judge Cigarettes between 1886 and 1890. There's something melancholy about the way she’s posed; it feels staged and slightly… spectral. What draws your eye in this piece? Curator: Spectral is the perfect word. These tobacco cards were like little windows into the glamorous world of theatre and celebrity – a paper-thin portal for the everyday smoker. But there's a real tension, isn't there, between that idealized image and the grime of, well, nicotine and capitalist drive. Look at the backdrop; the soft focus is clearly designed to put the actress forward. Yet I find my eye dancing over the wallpaper. Does that choice hint at a character detail? A symbolic imprisonment? It really brings up questions on commercial image versus art. What is she reaching for, I wonder? Editor: It's interesting to think about this image as both art and advertising! It seems like such a strange duality to blend celebrity endorsements with portraiture and artistic photography. The idea that she is potentially trapped is also striking, even if she's meant to look carefree and reaching forward. Did viewers at the time recognize her individuality, or did she become just another face advertising cigarettes? Curator: That’s the magic, or perhaps the tragedy, of these cards. Each one tries to tell a micro-story while primarily moving product. Did people see *Helen*, or just another picture with cigarettes? Perhaps, a bit of both and everything in between, which for me really elevates it, don’t you agree? It’s more like a poetic ambiguity. Editor: I can definitely see that now, understanding its cultural context makes me look at it differently. I find her melancholy pose very interesting now, thinking about this little duality of this period-defining card. Thanks!