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

Editor: Here we have Louise Montague, from the Actors and Actresses series for Old Judge Cigarettes, produced sometime between 1886 and 1890 by Goodwin & Company. It’s a photographic print, and immediately strikes me as being quite theatrical and definitely meant to catch the eye. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: Beyond the immediate, consider how advertising, even in its infancy, uses the allure of celebrity. Louise Montague, an actress, becomes a symbol, not just for her talent but for aspirations tied to the brand. This conflation—actress, product, desire—is a powerful symbolic triangulation. Notice the floral details. Where do you see those? Editor: They’re dotted all over: on her hat, along the neckline of her dress, and sort of sprinkled on her skirt. They are echoed in the painted backdrop, too. Curator: Exactly. Think about what flowers conventionally represent: beauty, fragility, but also ephemerality. Here, are they merely decorative, or do they imply something about beauty’s transient nature? Even more fascinating, this card existed to be collected, traded, and perhaps, discarded – enacting its own transience! What might it say about society that even actress become collectible commodities to consume? Editor: Wow, I hadn’t considered the darker undertones. Seeing how these fleeting moments are frozen and sold certainly makes me think differently about the photograph and the company’s intention in producing it. Curator: Precisely! Recognizing such underlying motifs helps us interpret more broadly how such pieces function and communicate messages to their audiences. Editor: This look beneath the surface of what initially appeared to be just a portrait of an actress to reveal so much more!