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

This lithograph of June Wendell was created by Allen & Ginter as part of their series of promotional trading cards for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. These cards were symptomatic of a gilded age in which industrialization and the rise of consumer culture intertwined with entrenched gender norms. Wendell, an actress, would have been recognizable to many people; mass media was gaining popularity. The image plays into the mystique of celebrity, as Wendell gestures for the viewer’s silence. The card reflects and reinforces a social hierarchy that celebrated white, upper-class women as ideals of beauty and virtue. Wendell’s engagement with the camera implies a tacit agreement to the terms of her representation. In this way, the image invites us to consider the dynamics of power, performance, and visibility that shaped the lives of women in the public eye.