Card 440, Marion Elmore, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 7) for Dixie Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Curator: This is card 440, a portrait of Marion Elmore, dating between 1885 and 1891. It's part of the Actors and Actresses series, Type 7, produced by Allen & Ginter for Dixie Cigarettes. Editor: Oh, the sepia tones give it such a melancholic feel. There's a delicacy to her expression, almost a silent film star quality about her...a touch of longing in the eyes perhaps? Curator: The medium is fascinating. It combines drawing, print, and photography, all layered onto paper. These cards were essentially small-scale commercial artworks, distributed to promote tobacco products. Examining the materiality, one can trace the intersections of consumer culture, celebrity, and industrial print production. Editor: Yes, you see her reduced to a product, and yet her gaze transcends it all. Imagine, this little rectangle being tucked into a cigarette pack. The intimacy is peculiar; possessing a performer's image almost gives you ownership. I feel as though her quiet composure is resisting that exploitation, you know? Curator: It speaks to a whole system. Consider the paper production, the inks used, the labour involved in printing and distribution—the economic and social structures are woven into the very fabric of this object. Even the cigarette company's location in Richmond, Virginia—it brings a very palpable reminder of labour histories. Editor: Absolutely! It’s beautiful how she seems almost reluctant to meet the camera. Maybe she has a feeling she might turn into something consumed... I do wonder if she ever saw this card of herself? Did she feel empowered, exploited, indifferent? So many layers... Curator: Indeed, its value transcends simple representation; the object embodies a complex web of material processes and social relationships of that era. Editor: Exactly! She takes on even more than just what is depicted in front of you. What an elegant woman! It feels as though just observing is only scratching the surface.