Card Number 526, Mrs. Sheridan, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-7) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

Editor: Here we have Card Number 526, a portrait of Mrs. Sheridan, from the Actors and Actresses series produced by Duke Sons & Co. sometime in the 1880s as advertisement for Duke Cigarettes. I’m struck by how this small portrait offers such a window into a different time, a vanished world. What symbols jump out at you in this image? Curator: Well, let's begin with Mrs. Sheridan herself. She's not just a pretty face, but a carefully constructed image. Consider the hat: not merely a fashion statement, but a halo-like form, suggesting celebrity, aspiration. Even the fan hints at a performance of femininity and grace; fans communicated entire dialogues. Editor: So you are suggesting it represents not just who she is, but an idealized version? Curator: Precisely! Look at how deliberately the text anchors her to a specific product: "Duke Cigarettes." In this, the symbolism is powerful; she embodies a lifestyle that the smoker might acquire. Don’t you wonder about the targeted audience? Who were they trying to reach? Editor: That’s a good question, and it is telling. It makes you think about consumerism and identity. Did they specifically seek famous personalities to add greater symbolism? Curator: Doubtlessly! The actress stands for more than a name; she’s a brand ambassador before that was even a concept, and the cigarette brand then borrows her "symbolic capital," for lack of better words. This conflation becomes the message itself. Editor: So much deeper than just a portrait on a card. Thanks, that’s really illuminating! Curator: My pleasure! There is a great deal in the visual culture if we remember that images always serve some type of social memory.