Eyes Right, from the Parasol Drills series (N18) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1888

Editor: This color print is entitled "Eyes Right" and it comes from the Parasol Drills series of Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands, dating back to 1888. It's quite charming, almost like a snapshot of Victorian femininity. How would you interpret the social context of this image? Curator: That's a keen observation. Considering its context as a cigarette card, one must think about how this image functioned within the visual culture of the late 19th century. Allen & Ginter used these cards to promote their brand, embedding it within notions of sophistication and leisure. How do you think the image's composition reinforces this message? Editor: I suppose it’s idealizing women. She’s holding a parasol, not doing any visible labor, but more just "performing" wealth? Curator: Precisely. The series presented idealized images of women engaged in parasol drills, essentially a form of fashionable exercise. It also reflects the growing advertising industry that was starting to depict women, both creating and consuming stereotypes. What else stands out about how gender might be visualized in this context? Editor: It strikes me as fairly gendered. The association of cigarettes, traditionally marketed toward men, now extends, subtly, towards the aspiration of feminine elegance, further emphasized by the presence of ‘parasol drills’. It is a peculiar alignment. Curator: Absolutely. The "Parasol Drills" series blurred the lines between sport, fashion, and social class, and served to reinforce those ideas at a specific moment in time, didn't it? What will you take away from looking at it like this? Editor: The card isn’t just an innocent picture; it reveals marketing strategies shaping our perceptions of women. Thank you! Curator: And now you have a better sense of its function within cultural dynamics of the era.