Card 316, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 5) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Editor: Here we have a curious artifact: Card 316 from the "Actors and Actresses" series by Allen & Ginter, dating from around 1885 to 1891. It's a portrait, seemingly a photograph reproduced as a print for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. The woman in the image has such an ethereal quality to her; what strikes you most about this piece? Curator: Ethereal is a lovely way to put it. It’s funny how an object intended as advertising can, with the passage of time, whisper different stories, isn't it? Beyond just a pretty face selling cigarettes, what do we see? A frozen moment in time, a longing for fame, perhaps. The soft focus of the photo almost feels like a dream. It’s trying so hard to create a type and an affectation that probably did not naturally exist. What sort of dialogue does this provoke for you? Editor: That’s so true, I hadn't thought about it as a sort of ‘performance’ captured in the image itself, beyond just her being an actress! It makes me think about the performative aspects of photography in general, and how it can obscure reality as much as it captures it. The image itself seems more staged because you can almost see what they were attempting to capture from this specific person in that exact time. How would an actress even feel about their fame being intertwined with something so, so commercial? It almost degrades art for art's sake. Curator: Yes! It's a paradox isn't it? Her image elevated and exploited simultaneously. The "Virginia Brights" part reminds us of how inextricably linked art, commerce, and celebrity become—even back then. And it makes you wonder who *she* really was, beyond this constructed image. Do you get a sense of her, of her inner life? What I find compelling is the humanity shining through the sepia tones and cigarette ads! Editor: I think it's impossible to ignore the commerce side of it. Which has changed my perception, really. This wasn't necessarily about artistic expression, as it was commercial success. Thank you for bringing me on the other side!