From the series "Sports Girls" (C190), issued by the American Cigarette Company, Ltd., Montreal, to promote Gloria Cigarettes 1885 - 1895

Curator: This fetching little card hails from somewhere between 1885 and 1895. It’s part of the “Sports Girls” series—drawing feels almost too elevated a word, coloured pencil feels closer—created by the American Cigarette Company, Ltd., out of Montreal to hawk their Gloria Cigarettes. I suppose even back then, sex sold, eh? Editor: Wow, first impression? She’s…unexpected. A burst of colour and confident stance amidst the hushed halls of the museum. I'm struck by how much she evokes a time of immense change—and marketing! Curator: It’s intriguing to consider, isn’t it, how images work to reinforce societal norms? She's styled for display but not engagement; an Art Nouveau fantasy more than an actual woman, she serves as this symbol—however unintentionally—of burgeoning consumer culture. She's aspiration made...tiny! Editor: Precisely! The layering is so revealing— the plumed hat feels a bit ceremonial, those opera gloves contrast with what seems a playful little costume and very practical laced boots; all contribute to a very odd kind of eroticisation of performance and industrial product. Does she invite empowerment or consumption? The symbolism is gloriously complex! Curator: Maybe that is exactly the question: Must it be “either/or”? She reflects how industries in Montreal and America during this period were actively re-drawing lines of feminine behaviour; she becomes not a sportswoman per se, but more the *idea* of freedom and possibility. And isn’t this, finally, a symbol that remains with us to this day? A commodity dressed up as a liberator? Editor: Absolutely, the ambiguity—dare I say contradiction—resonates so loudly, because this strange little card distills so much about our past—and frankly, present! It truly makes you wonder how Gloria Cigarettes smoked and how much free will its customers inhaled alongside the fumes!