Orange Blossom: Maidenly Reserve, from the series Floral Beauties and Language of Flowers (N75) for Duke brand cigarettes 1892

This small chromolithograph card, made by the American Tobacco Company, presents an allegorical portrait of maidenly reserve. The symbolism here is layered. The orange blossom, a traditional emblem of purity and innocence, intertwines with the figure of a young woman veiled in white. This instantly evokes associations with marriage and fertility, concepts deeply rooted in cultural memory. The veil itself is a potent symbol, found in countless artistic traditions from antiquity to the Renaissance. Think of Botticelli's Venus, draped and modest, or even the veiled figures in ancient Roman sculptures. The veil, however, can be a symbol of both protection and concealment, inviting us to ponder the psychological complexities of maidenhood. It is an object that both reveals and obscures, a motif that transcends time, continuously resurfacing, evolving and accumulating new meanings, as it reflects the hopes, fears, and societal expectations surrounding women across different eras.