Zelia de Lussan, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

Editor: Here we have "Zelia de Lussan, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes," created sometime between 1886 and 1890 by Goodwin & Company. It's a small print, originally a cigarette card, depicting a young woman. It’s fascinating how they used popular actresses to sell cigarettes. What strikes me is the almost classical portrait style despite its commercial function. What do you make of it? Curator: Indeed! The conflation of commercial imagery and celebrity portraiture here presents a fascinating symbolic puzzle. Look closely – what iconographic cues can we decipher? The star in her hair, for example. What could that represent? Is it simply decorative, or might it allude to her rising stardom, or something more… celestial? Editor: I initially thought of it as merely decorative, fitting the period's style, but you’re right; it feels loaded with potential meanings. So, a star could represent fame or destiny, or both, in a period obsessed with categorizing female performers... Curator: Precisely! And the necklace... notice how it seems almost like a draped curtain, framing her? It acts as both adornment and barrier, doesn't it? This combination makes me wonder if it could be symbolic, a staged performance for the public eye. Editor: That's insightful. It does feel very deliberately constructed now that you point it out, everything down to the cigarette branding and decorative font below. How much was the person herself involved? Curator: An important question. In such promotional works, the individual often becomes secondary to the intended symbolic message. The manufacturer is ultimately crafting a specific association, so the star and pearls work to say: Purchase our product. Elevate your status. Become glamorous and recognizable just as Zelia de Lussan is! Editor: This small card actually opens up a whole world of thinking about celebrity, consumerism and symbolic representation! Curator: It does. This card offers a powerful peek into the construction of image and desire within a burgeoning consumer culture, using the actress as an archetype.