Wait for Escort, from the Parasol Drills series (N18) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1888

Curator: This charming piece is from a series of illustrated cards made in 1888 by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. Titled "Wait for Escort," it was part of their "Parasol Drills" set. Editor: I’m immediately struck by the almost doll-like quality, there is something melancholic about it. All that pink…yet she seems less than thrilled. A strange mix, I find. Curator: The "Parasol Drills" cards depict women performing military-style drills with parasols. At the time, there were other brands that promoted all types of different products with series of collectible cards. Editor: That context definitely reframes her! So, it’s less portrait, more… propaganda? I wonder, how were women expected to see this? A fashionable form of civic engagement? Curator: Perhaps! Though many see them now as clever ways to subvert traditional gender roles and depict them doing atypical things, like paramilitary drills. I notice the rigid stripes of her dress almost mimic the straightness of the drill, don’t you think? Editor: Oh, absolutely. And yet, that elaborate hat, that dainty bow… it’s a paradox wrapped in pink! This makes me wonder, how intentional was this supposed subversion? Is that plausible? Curator: It's hard to say definitively what was intended. Cigarette cards were aimed at a broad audience, but the designers would have certainly been aware of changing perceptions of women and modernity at the time. But it also falls into the pattern of Victorian obsession with young, idealized images of femininity, don't you agree? Editor: A perfect collision of social aspirations and corporate strategy then! The "Wait for Escort" title now reads differently, almost like a coded plea within a playful military pose. How ingenious. Curator: Absolutely. These pieces from Allen and Ginter, are like time capsules offering a tantalizing glimpse into the complex social and cultural codes of their age. Editor: I see her in a whole new light now. A bittersweet vignette—waiting is active after all—laden with expectation and perhaps, a dash of playful resistance.