Blanche Thorne, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

Editor: This is a photographic print, “Blanche Thorne, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes,” dating from the late 1880s, made by Goodwin & Company. I'm struck by its small scale, like a memento, and the almost classical profile view. How do you interpret this image? Curator: Consider what a photograph of an actress meant in that era. Actresses were powerful symbols; their images circulated widely, embodying ideals of beauty and success. This wasn't fine art, but advertising. Yet, even in a cigarette card, the careful pose, the classically inspired profile—it elevates Blanche Thorne, suggesting something enduring about her image, even as it fades in cultural memory. The very fact that it’s *Old* Judge Cigarettes… does that trigger any thoughts about the symbolism of age, memory, and representation here? Editor: I suppose the cigarette brand leverages a sense of nostalgia or established quality by using that “Old” descriptor. The actress, the photo style… it’s all communicating a connection to the past. Do you see other symbols at play? Curator: Note how the profile emphasizes purity and idealized beauty - a popular symbol within the context of Neoclassicism. Look closely at her hair. That carefully arranged updo would signify not only style but status, virtue, aspiration. A contemporary audience, viewing this portrait, would immediately understand it. What do you make of the cigarette advertisement alongside this idealized portrait? Editor: It's a jarring juxtaposition, the beautiful actress selling something as mundane as cigarettes. Perhaps it suggests a touch of the scandalous? Curator: Precisely. It plays on desire. Beauty, success, and perhaps a hint of transgression. Each carefully constructed. Looking at this through an Iconographic lens unveils more layers than I initially anticipated. Editor: It’s amazing to think how much meaning can be packed into something as simple as a cigarette card. Thanks for walking me through this!