Lecuyer, Palais Royal, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This small card, one of a series made by Allen & Ginter, presents us with Mlle. Lecuyer gazing into a mirror, her reflection a ghostly echo of herself. This act of mirroring—so simple, yet so profound—has been a potent symbol throughout art history. Consider Narcissus, transfixed by his own image in the water, a cautionary tale of self-obsession from Ovid's "Metamorphoses". Here, Mlle. Lecuyer is not in love with herself, but her pensive downward gaze and the mirroring effect suggest a moment of introspection, perhaps even melancholy. The mirror motif appears across time. Think of Jan van Eyck's "Arnolfini Portrait," where the mirror on the back wall reflects the entire scene, reminding us of hidden truths and perspectives. Here, the actress and her mirror image invoke a similar duality: the public persona versus the private self, a theme ripe with psychological complexity. This duality engages us on a subconscious level, stirring our own reflections on identity. The cyclical nature of these symbols reveals how they resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings in different historical contexts, forever linked to our shared, cultural memory.