Actress wearing hat with red ribbon, from Stars of the Stage, First Series (N129) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1890

Editor: So this is an 1890 print titled "Actress wearing hat with red ribbon". It's part of the "Stars of the Stage" series by W. Duke, Sons & Co., created to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I find the colours strangely appealing – a soft, slightly faded charm, I guess! What leaps out at you? Curator: Faded charm is a wonderful way to put it. This piece transports me to a time when theatre held a completely different kind of sway. This isn't just a portrait, it’s a tiny, potent artifact of consumer culture. What I find curious is that something designed to be so ephemeral, a small tobacco advertisement, has found its way into a museum. Almost by accident, it seems, or am I reading too much into it? Editor: An accident, maybe, or maybe a happy accident! It’s cool to see how everyday advertising became art. But why this actress? What does she tell us about the ideals of beauty, or celebrity, back then? Curator: That’s the million-dollar question! Think about the layers here – tobacco, theatre, beauty… all carefully curated for consumption. Her serene gaze is designed to invite you into the world of 'Honest Long Cut Tobacco', subtly implying a sense of quality and refined taste, of course, maybe this actress represents aspirational beauty; yet she seems almost untouched. She seems... real, compared to the obviously artificial colors, you know? Editor: So the tobacco company essentially "borrowed" her image, and persona? Does that mean this print becomes an early form of media manipulation, shaping our desires through an actress’s perceived allure? Curator: Exactly! And it speaks to the powerful influence that advertising and celebrity culture wielded, even in 1890. You can feel that influence. Editor: Who knew a simple tobacco card could reveal so much! Thanks. It changed how I perceive advertising, not only old timey advertising, but how pervasive, yet hidden it remains to this day. Curator: My pleasure. Never underestimate the power of a small print with a big story, eh?