Ida Conquess in Richard Carvel, from the Actresses series (T1), distributed by the American Tobacco Co. to promote Turkish Trophies Cigarettes 1900

This print of Ida Conquest in Richard Carvel was created by Frederick Spiegle for the American Tobacco Company. Note the extravagant feather hat; it’s more than mere fashion. The plumed hat echoes the winged helmet of Hermes, a figure central to my own work. Hermes, the messenger of the gods, is also a symbol of transformation, and the circulation of images over time. Think of Botticelli's "Primavera," where Flora is adorned with flowers, mirroring a similar exuberance and connection to natural, life-giving forces. Here, the feathers suggest not only wealth and status but also a kind of metamorphosis. The theatre, after all, is a stage for transformation, where actors embody different personas. Just as Hermes traverses realms, the actress crosses between reality and illusion. The plumed hat, therefore, becomes a potent emblem of the power of the image, constantly resurrected and reimagined across the ages.