Card Number 167, Mme. Modjeska, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-2) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This is Card Number 167, Mme. Modjeska, from the Actors and Actresses series, a lithograph produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes. We see the actress Helena Modjeska adorned with roses, a motif laden with meaning throughout history. The rose, often associated with Venus and Aphrodite, embodies love, beauty, and passion. Yet, it carries a dual nature, its thorns a reminder of pain and mortality. This duality echoes in Modjeska's own life, her triumphs shadowed by personal struggles. Think of Botticelli's "Birth of Venus", where roses fall around the goddess, or even later, Dante Gabriel Rossetti's depictions of tragic heroines crowned with roses. The rose motif recurs through time, shifting from sacred symbol to decorative element, yet always retaining a whisper of its ancient power. The image acts as a cultural conduit, linking Modjeska to a lineage of beauty, fame, and the poignant ephemerality of life.