From the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

Editor: This is a cabinet card, "From the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes" made between 1886 and 1890. It looks like a albumen print. There is a person with a mustache dressed in what looks like stage attire and it is pretty eye-catching. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Immediately, I'm struck by the complicated nature of representation at play here. It is a photographic image that is distributed as a promotional card. A white person in stylized costume—what is that relationship to identity in the context of this era? Who is this person “acting” as, and what does it mean to profit from their image while selling tobacco products? Editor: I didn’t even consider the identity element, or how it fits with the sale of cigarettes. Curator: We also have to think about spectatorship and the rise of consumer culture. These cards weren't meant for a gallery, they were designed to be collected and traded. So, who has access to images and representation becomes tied to consumption, privilege and the rise of commercial society. Does knowing this shift your understanding of the image? Editor: Absolutely. It reframes what I thought I knew. I need to understand representation of minorities and their lack of agency at that time to consume images. Thanks. Curator: Exactly. It's about situating the image within a larger power dynamic, and how that informs our reading of it today. The act of viewing isn't neutral. We bring our own baggage, our own knowledge – or lack thereof – to it. Hopefully this new knowledge moves us towards more equitable understandings of history and visual culture.