Card Number 59, Vickers, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

Editor: This is card number 59, Vickers, from the Actors and Actresses series, printed in the 1880s by Duke Sons & Co. as a promotional item for Cross Cut Cigarettes. The sepia tone gives it a very nostalgic feeling. I’m curious about the depiction of women in this era. What do you see in this piece? Curator: This small portrait offers a powerful snapshot of the intertwined relationship between commerce, gender, and performance. Ask yourself, who was this woman "Vickers"? Was this her real name, or a stage name? This was an era where women performers were becoming increasingly visible, yet also increasingly sexualized and commodified. The advertisement literally places her image alongside a consumable product. What message does this send? Editor: That makes me think about how her pose seems almost melancholic, contrasting with the intent of the advert. Is that contrast intentional? Curator: Perhaps. Consider the corseted figure and the theatrical dress – these weren't just fashion, they were constraints, physical embodiments of societal expectations. And what about the classical vase next to her? Does it reinforce her supposed place as an object of beauty rather than a subject of agency? Do you find that reading to be applicable here? Editor: Absolutely, it’s almost like she is a prop, or a brand ambassador, yet she’s constrained physically, restricted by the cultural expectations of her time. Thank you! It gave me a whole new framework to see it from. Curator: Exactly! It’s through understanding these layers that we can really unpack the complexities of seemingly simple images like these. The personal and the political are so often deeply entwined.