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

This photogravure of Leila Farrell, from the Actors and Actresses series, was made by Allen & Ginter as an advertisement for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. Note the extravagant hat adorned with feathers. Feathers, from antiquity through the Renaissance, have been emblems of deities associated with the sky, of royalty, and of spiritual aspiration. Think of ancient Egyptian headdresses, or Botticelli’s Venus—aren’t feathers suggestive of ethereal beauty and status? Yet, here, the feather adorns an actress in a cigarette advertisement. This is no accident. The association with luxury and the divine elevates the subject, imbuing her with an aura that transcends the mundane, subtly linking the act of smoking with aspiration and allure. It’s the echo of cultural memory, transformed and repurposed for a new age.