Edith Kingdon, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Curator: At first glance, there’s something dreamlike about this piece, it is softened and delicate. It’s an albumen print called "Edith Kingdon, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes," created by Allen & Ginter sometime between 1885 and 1891. Editor: Ah, yes, that aged quality definitely lends to a nostalgic haze. It speaks to a very specific bygone era of theatrical celebrity. It feels like the kind of image that would be slipped into a love letter. Curator: Exactly! And that association is really no accident, considering the purpose of these images. The iconography of actresses was meticulously crafted to fuel a fascination with performance, beauty, and fame, all subtly intertwined with the idea of smoking Virginia Brights. Editor: So, Edith Kingdon, a stage actress, becomes a symbol herself. Beyond the literal depiction, the billowing gown she wears, slightly reminiscent of a cumulus cloud, also reads as aspirations and perhaps something slightly performative. The pearl choker and soft glance to the left indicate an acceptance and embracing of a high status. It is also easy to recognize here the archetype of a 'diva'. Curator: The 'diva'! Well put. It’s fascinating how they leveraged celebrity culture even then. She's elevated, a distant, ideal figure. These cards acted as currency for aspiration. A paper version of success available at tobacconists. It is also interesting to observe the specific pose that makes one leg be completely veiled by her skirt and the other is slightly suggested giving her a more statuesque position. Editor: It highlights how desires were marketed and consumed alongside everyday goods, something very powerful about imbuing these fleeting images of famous people into something one handles intimately and eventually tosses away as the product itself vanishes like smoke. Curator: You know, despite the commercial intent, there's a quiet dignity in Edith's expression. It’s a reminder that behind every image, there’s a person navigating her world, then and now. Editor: A world now preserved in sepia, reinterpreted, reconsidered, with those initial threads of celebrity, aspiration, commerce, all still subtly entangled in our perception today.