Card 735, Daisy Murdoch, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Curator: This little card, dating from around 1885-1891, is from a series called "Actors and Actresses" and features Daisy Murdoch. It was included in Virginia Brights Cigarettes, produced by Allen & Ginter. What's your first impression? Editor: Nostalgia, tinged with melancholy. She’s gazing wistfully toward something unseen. It’s like a captured moment of yearning, all sepia-toned and delicate, from a world long vanished. The lighting and composition are interesting too, but that tone is strong. Curator: Exactly! There’s such a powerful, quiet mood. These cards were essentially advertisements, tiny portraits of celebrities. To modern eyes, this feels less like marketing and more like… well, an intimate sketch. Editor: Right, and there’s that tension isn’t there? It's advertising, which exists within a certain economic structure and says something about consumer culture and idealized figures. Murdoch’s very image, distributed with cigarettes, positions her within evolving concepts of gender and commodity. She's being presented and consumed, just like tobacco. Curator: Mmm, interesting point. She’s on a bench, sort of outside, and I wonder who made decisions on the scenery or the pose... Perhaps she had some power over her portrayal or was just at the behest of Allen & Ginter. The little flowers scattered in the scene suggest some sort of carefree joy, yet they look more melancholic to my eye. The use of photography with possible artistic manipulations gives the overall impression something unique. Editor: Indeed. The blurring is part of that "melancholy" for me. Even the slight abstraction contributes, calling into question the role and status of this actor. The 'impressionist' look wasn't accidental...I think its also suggestive of Japonisme at the time. Curator: And now seeing this Japonisme, makes this humble image all the more unique! How could you imagine someone collecting these back in the day? I want to be with this card—to hold a piece of her longing—to remember. I will now need to reflect for an afternoon, maybe near water… Editor: I imagine its owner carrying this tiny Daisy Murdoch around in their pocket—a tiny piece of imagined prestige. The mass reproduction gives access, but ultimately, it is a commodified accessibility that leaves one on the periphery of power structures, much like Murdoch in her constructed image. Thank you, Allen & Ginter, for spurring this conversation.