Card 846, Annie Summerville, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Curator: This is Card 846, Annie Summerville, from the Actors and Actresses series, a cigarette card created by Allen & Ginter between 1885 and 1891. The image, a mixed medium of drawing and photography with a touch of colored pencil, resides here at the Met. Editor: There’s a wistful, ethereal quality about it. The sepia tones, the fading, the pose – it feels like a forgotten dream, with an enigmatic staging and a theatrical presence in the stance and garment design. Curator: Indeed. These cards functioned as both collectibles and advertisements. Consider the intersection of celebrity culture and commerce, with images like these helping to normalize the presence of actresses, such as Summerville, within everyday domestic spaces. She stands here, caught between masculinity and femininity, in theatrical garb with sword in hand, playing with notions of gender. Editor: Absolutely, the use of a full frontal perspective gives it a symmetrical structure, divided by the clean blade running along the horizontal mid-point; I’m intrigued by the choice to frame Annie in her flamboyant attire. The tones of shading feel almost ghostly due to the condition and photographic rendering. The mark-making from a semiotic point of view acts like scars. Curator: It's suggestive of how women of the stage challenged societal constraints of that era. Their performances, as highlighted in this affordable media format, broadened the acceptable performance of female roles beyond domesticity. This in turn helped to broaden identity constructions within late 19th century communities, making their representation accessible through capital means. Editor: And in the end it’s that careful construction that provides us with the enduring quality, isn't it? An example of photography being deployed with intention. Curator: Certainly. These pocket-sized portraits held a powerful social charge. By looking closely, we can start to consider their social value and complex negotiation of the cultural boundaries of the day. Editor: A truly striking object—its material fragility paradoxically amplifying its continued visual impact.