[Actress wearing fez], from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1890 - 1895

Editor: So, this is a photograph from the Actors and Actresses series, created by W. Duke Sons & Co. between 1890 and 1895. The image shows an actress in costume, complete with a fez and what appears to be a small sword. What stands out to me is how performative and theatrical this image feels, even though it's just a portrait. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It's interesting to consider how these cigarette cards functioned within the burgeoning consumer culture of the late 19th century. Think about it: this image, now preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was originally circulated as a promotional item for tobacco. What does it say about our society that a woman is used as an object to advertise products? Editor: It definitely highlights the commercialization of female images. But beyond that, could the costume itself suggest something? Curator: Absolutely. The "exotic" attire, likely a romanticized and Orientalist representation of Middle Eastern fashion through the fez, speaks volumes. Consider how "the Orient" was constructed in the Western imagination – often as a space of fantasy, escape, but also of otherness and potential threat. Do you think that by posing as the “other”, this actress risks to promote cultural appropriation? Editor: It does feel that way. She might be perceived as embracing an identity or aesthetic that’s not authentically hers, contributing to the misrepresentation and exploitation of another culture. It also makes you wonder about her role in all of this: was she complicit or simply following directions? Curator: Precisely. Her individual agency, or lack thereof, is something to unpack. She's a subject, an actress, but also an object of the gaze, both within the image and in its original context. Thinking critically about this interplay of identity, representation, and consumption really brings this seemingly simple image into focus. Editor: I see the image with totally different eyes. Now it makes me think about power dynamics and representation in the cultural industry. Thank you!