Card 786, Annie Summerfield, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 2) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Curator: This striking cabinet card, dating from between 1885 and 1891, captures actress Annie Summerfield. Part of the Actors and Actresses series created by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes, this print shows Summerfield posed with her arms crossed. It's a fascinating little artefact. Editor: My first impression? A somewhat unsettling image, almost sepulchral. Her expression and stance are strangely confrontational. The way she is framed emphasizes a rigid posture, and her arms crossed so tightly communicates some unspoken defiance, even discomfort. Curator: Indeed. There is that aspect of stillness. Yet consider the larger purpose; the goal of Allen & Ginter. In commissioning photographs like this, there was a strategic distribution within cigarette packs as a marketing strategy. By imbuing these tobacco products with the alluring glow of celebrities, especially actors and actresses, a sense of cultural cachet was certainly established. The public was captivated by fame and theatrical performance. Editor: This reminds me of when, throughout the nineteenth century, these forms of consumerism objectified the female figure, commodifying even celebrity. Summerfield, through photography, becomes an item. Her fame directly feeds sales. It really emphasizes a limited role for women on display in both the performing and commercial context. Do you agree? Curator: It’s impossible to ignore how fame and marketing became so intimately connected at this time, how an image like this solidified its roots within this capitalist context. Though Summerfield, through this card, and this pose, presents such self-possession that may allow her to occupy it from an angle of her own empowerment, her arms as if holding her own and shielding herself. Editor: I find this reading empowering. I now see her less as a passive commodity and more as a complex person engaging with the limitations afforded to her by society. How powerful that an image meant for consumerism can provoke dialogue about gender, self-possession, and commodification over a hundred years later. Curator: I'll certainly carry a new understanding and admiration of Annie Summerfield today, thanks to you. Editor: Absolutely, the dialogue shows us a glimpse beyond the sepia tone. It encourages us to probe deeply and challenges our preconceived notions on the subject. I hope our listeners continue the inquiry.