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

Curator: The image we are looking at is a piece from a series called "Actors and Actresses" featuring Lilly McIntyre, produced by Allen & Ginter between 1885 and 1891 for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. It is a photograph printed on a small card. Editor: My first thought? Intimate. The faded sepia tones give it an ethereal quality, almost like a memory fading into the past. It is very gentle. Curator: Exactly. These cards were inserts in cigarette packs, and functioned as advertisements but also traded like collectibles. In some ways they commodified beauty and celebrity. Editor: Definitely. We're looking at the male gaze at work. It's impossible to ignore how such images constructed ideals of feminine beauty and circulated them widely, setting standards and expectations for women during that era. Curator: Yes, a fascinating early example of celebrity culture merging with commercial interests. Though these were primarily aimed at male consumers, there were also reports about women collecting the actresses cards too. I imagine the cards provided women with alternative roles outside of their own traditional settings. A different vision of a woman’s place in society. Editor: An act of empowerment, perhaps? The Post-Impressionistic feel is so evocative—I am drawn to its delicate portraiture, and the very subtle floral arrangement at the breast of her dress. Curator: Indeed, it's a tiny window into a complex moment in cultural history, where art, commerce, and social values intertwined in interesting ways. The cards provide these compact commentaries on performance and identity, a curated world of fleeting fame! Editor: Absolutely. Looking at Lilly, one really feels the constraints but also the allure of her persona, permanently etched within this small card as a reminder of a particular beauty ideal, bound by capitalist desires, yet capable of inspiring different aspirations. Curator: A perfect, lingering thought. These kinds of collectible portrait cards created new opportunities for cultural influence through material culture. It still prompts so many questions! Editor: Indeed. This photograph of Lilly reminds us how the seemingly innocent and simple snapshots from the past can provoke relevant and complex narratives that resonate even today.