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

Goodwin & Company created this portrait of Yerny, from the Actors and Actresses series, as a promotional cigarette card. Notice how the sepia tones suffuse the entire image, creating a soft, almost dreamlike effect. The composition is simple, yet effective; the actress's face is the clear focal point, framed by her elaborate hairstyle and the dark fur draped around her shoulders. This framing draws our eyes to her expression, which is subtle, but engaging. These cigarette cards, mass-produced as advertising, were part of a broader shift in visual culture. They democratized image consumption but also reinforced societal norms and values. The actress here is presented as an object of admiration and desire, yet confined within the strictures of the medium and its commercial intent. Consider how such images contributed to constructing celebrity and how the formal elements of photography, like lighting and composition, were deployed to create particular effects and meanings. Art doesn't exist in a vacuum.