Card 802, Miss Hart, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 2) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This is a card featuring Miss Hart, made by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. Note the striking hat framing her face. Millennia ago, the halo emerged as a divine aura, typically encircling the heads of saints, deities, and emperors. Consider its echo in Byzantine mosaics and Renaissance paintings. In this modern context, the hat performs a similar function, drawing the eye and suggesting a certain elevated status. It protects, it hides, it draws attention. Consider the psychological implications—the hat as a mask, both concealing and revealing. It speaks to our fascination with identity, and how we choose to present ourselves to the world, engaging viewers on a deep, subconscious level. This simple accessory has journeyed through time, adapting and resurfacing, proving that the language of symbols is anything but linear.