Miss Ruth Stetson, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Editor: Here we have a photograph from between 1885 and 1891, "Miss Ruth Stetson, from the Actors and Actresses series" by Allen & Ginter. It's quite a striking image, given it was made for cigarette cards! She appears confident and theatrical. What’s your take on it? Curator: This image speaks volumes about the representation of women and performance in the late 19th century. The "Actors and Actresses" series provides a glimpse into the commodification of female performers within the burgeoning consumer culture. Editor: Commodification, interesting… can you say more? Curator: Consider the historical context. Women were beginning to enter the public sphere more prominently, including as performers. These cards, distributed with cigarettes, served to normalize their presence but also to objectify them for a male audience. What do you observe about Stetson’s pose and attire? Editor: She is rather exposed, especially compared to how women were depicted generally in that era. Her pose, leaning casually against a piece of furniture, comes across as deliberately seductive. Curator: Exactly! This blatant eroticization wasn’t simply about selling cigarettes. It was about controlling the narrative of female agency, subtly dictating how women could participate in the public sphere—but on whose terms? Do you think Stetson had agency over this image? Editor: I see your point! It makes you question the line between empowerment and exploitation. I suppose the image’s intent complicates what appears to be a confident portrait on the surface. Curator: Indeed. It urges us to consider the broader social structures and power dynamics at play when analyzing art, and photography in particular. Editor: I will certainly never look at a cigarette card the same way again. Curator: Precisely the aim: to see art as an invitation for questioning historical and contemporary power.