Floy Crowell, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Curator: This photographic print comes from a series of "Actors and Actresses" created between 1885 and 1891 by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes, depicting Floy Crowell. What’s your take on it? Editor: There’s a demureness here, but it feels deliberately constructed. She’s got that sidelong glance and coy hand gesture, a calculated performance of Victorian femininity, doesn't it strike you as forced? Curator: Perhaps, but the photo also suggests something vulnerable, almost wistful. I see this performer lost in her art; or, at least, letting herself go as the portrait allows. I get that dreamy feeling. Editor: That ‘dreamy feeling’ is what sells cigarettes, isn’t it? Think about it: here’s this collectible card, designed to slip right into a cigarette pack, making actors and actresses consumable—another commodity just like tobacco. Curator: Oh, absolutely, I hear you. And those ruffled details around the neck just killing the game with subtle flamboyance. So clever in presentation and placement. Editor: Clever, and also telling. These visual fragments speak volumes about the objectification of women performers within the theater industry and their co-option by a burgeoning capitalist machine, all printed as collectible series within capitalist market. Curator: Fair, fair! I didn't consider capitalism to be at fault when examining how charming her neck ruffles might appear on closer inspection! Yet I still sense some individuality there, or an attitude from Floy's real self. Editor: Possibly! But I don’t think that a simple reading based on appearances alone provides enough insight. What of labor conditions in those factories, and exploitation to female workers on many layers of this product. Curator: I see how easy it can be to fall down the capitalist wormhole, in light of your perspective... Still, for a humble tobacco advertisement, it sparks deeper conversation! Editor: Exactly, even something seemingly straightforward reveals how art, commerce, and social constructs intersect. These cigarette cards present a complicated visual narrative. Curator: Very true, I feel compelled to give Floy another consideration from this point of view. Editor: As do I, on a journey to observe a performance of gender, class, labor exploitation through this humble token for marketing purposes.