Card 838, Fanny Rice, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 2) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Here is a card from the Actors and Actresses series for Virginia Brights Cigarettes, featuring Fanny Rice. Notice the tambourine held aloft. The tambourine, an instrument with ancient roots, is used here as a signal of mirth and festivity. The tambourine has journeyed through time, appearing in various guises—from the ecstatic rituals of ancient cults to the lively street performances. In antiquity, the tambourine was associated with the ecstatic cults of Dionysus and Cybele. It was used to accompany wild, frenzied dances that aimed to break down inhibitions and achieve a state of communion with the divine. Consider, too, the image of Salome, who, through her dance and the rhythmic pulse of tambourines, captivated Herod. The tambourine, now divorced from the sacred, becomes an instrument of pure spectacle. The evolution of the tambourine echoes the cyclical nature of cultural symbols, forever resurfacing, transformed by the shifting tides of history.