Ulmer, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

Editor: So, this is "Ulmer, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes" created by Goodwin & Company between 1886 and 1890. It's a photograph that also seems to have elements of drawing and print, and it’s at the Met. The first thing that strikes me is how this small card feels like it's trying to capture an era. What do you see in this piece, beyond just a portrait? Curator: It's fascinating how these ephemeral objects, cigarette cards, become time capsules. Look at the symbolism embedded here. "Ulmer" is posed almost sentimentally. How does her gesture strike you? Editor: She’s got a finger to her lip like she’s thinking or being secretive. It's almost coquettish, but the muted tones drain away that reading a bit, maybe? Curator: Exactly. Think of the cultural context. Actresses were just beginning to gain real social power. This image, distributed with cigarettes, flirts with the idea of the desirable, modern woman, but contains it within familiar visual tropes – demureness, beauty, but packaged for mass consumption. Even the “Old Judge” branding…what does a Judge evoke? Editor: Authority, judgment… a certain level of respectability maybe? To link that with an actress…it’s like it’s trying to make it all…acceptable? Curator: Precisely! It's an attempt to legitimize the actress's image, selling both cigarettes *and* a certain societal acceptance. Editor: It's like the image is doing so much work, beyond just showing a pretty face. Curator: These objects give glimpses into how society constructs and consumes images, ideas, desires…it’s all intertwined. It gives pause for thought to unpack all that one small card.