Card 759, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 2) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Curator: Oh, she seems so serene, almost lost in a daydream. There’s a softness to her that’s incredibly captivating. Editor: This is a photograph, specifically a gelatin-silver print, which was produced between 1885 and 1891. The piece is titled "Card 759, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 2) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes," created by Allen & Ginter. It resides at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Curator: Ah, a cigarette card! That gives the daydreaming a little bit of edge, doesn't it? I mean, suddenly she’s not just a portrait but also an advertisement… her image deployed in a kind of consumerist theater. It almost cheapens that delicate air about her, or maybe, that's part of the strange tension. Editor: Indeed, these cards served the explicit purpose of promotion, finding their way into cigarette packs to boost sales, using images of actresses and prominent figures. These sets reflect how celebrity culture was nascent in the late 19th century. Photography allowed for broader image dissemination, turning figures into commodities and objects of public fascination. Curator: Exactly! It makes you think about who *she* was outside the frame – did she get paid well? What did she think about having her face associated with tobacco? Her passive expression almost reads as defiance now, a quiet “I am more than just this pretty picture.” Editor: That’s a fascinating take. And it connects to the broader narrative around the commodification of female images and the social expectations imposed on women during this era. While the card advertises cigarettes, it simultaneously documents a shift in representation and popular culture. Curator: It's strange to hold something so flimsy, yet so loaded. This small image becomes a lens through which we view not just her, but an entire society in transition. She makes you wonder and isn't that what good art does? Editor: Absolutely. And reflecting on the function of photographic portraits helps reveal their critical impact as social documents shaping cultural memory. Thank you for sharing your impressions!