Mlle. Richard, Paris, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Gypsy Queen Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

Curator: Instantly, I’m transported. The sepia tones give it a feel of bygone elegance, even if it's just a small card. Editor: And quite a world this small card represents! What we're looking at is "Mlle. Richard, Paris," a trade card produced between 1886 and 1890 by Goodwin & Company, as part of their "Actors and Actresses" series for Gypsy Queen Cigarettes. The original resides here at the Met. Curator: Gypsy Queen! How delightfully theatrical even the brand is. The whole thing feels very Belle Epoque, capturing something about performance and celebrity in Paris then. Look at the subject’s regal air; is that a tiara? It looks cardboard. Editor: Perhaps, and I think that highlights a core tension here. This is commercial ephemera, cheaply produced—presumably using photography and then printed—intended to be discarded. But it’s depicting a celebrated figure of the stage. The "tiara" might actually be a paper crown or costume piece—signifying royalty, perhaps within a play. Curator: It's an intriguing layering of realities and fantasies. There's Mlle. Richard, the actress; the role she embodies, hinted at by her costume; the idealized image crafted for the cigarette brand; and now us looking at this piece of advertising and the memory of this all those years later! All compressed on this little rectangle. I find it striking that something made to be so disposable carries so much now. Editor: And there is, potentially, commentary woven within the symbolism itself. I'm not so sure about intentionality, but one cannot ignore that cigarettes--known killers and destroyers of lives--were here being pitched to the masses with a subtle "royal" seal. A clever means to get just about anyone feeling like royalty, perhaps. Curator: Fascinating how symbols can become freighted with unintended layers over time. A cultural artifact reveals both intention and unforeseen resonance across time. Editor: Absolutely. This is an inexpensive advertisement, yes, but a poignant mirror reflecting fame, artifice, and cultural aspirations over a century.