Miss Phyllis Broughton, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1890 - 1895

This promotional card of Miss Phyllis Broughton was produced by Duke Sons & Co. to advertise Duke Cigarettes. The image is of an actress, embodying the feminine ideals of beauty and grace that prevailed in the late 19th century. Consider her gaze, directed slightly upwards and away. This is not merely a portrait; it is an invitation to dream, a hallmark of romanticism. This pose has its roots in classical depictions of contemplative muses. We see echoes of this in Renaissance portraits of idealized women, such as Botticelli’s Venus, where the subject's averted gaze conveys a sense of ethereal beauty and inner reflection. But why this gesture? Freud might suggest it signifies repressed desires, a yearning for something beyond the immediate. The subconscious desire for unattainable ideals resurfaces time and again, manifesting in our art as a collective longing. These gestures are a psychological bridge that spans centuries, engaging us on a deep, primal level. Thus, symbols reappear, evolve, and take on new meanings, reflecting the cyclical progression of history.