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

Editor: So, this is "Miss Dashwood, from the Actors and Actresses series," made by Goodwin & Company between 1886 and 1890. It’s a print – probably a photograph reproduced for Old Judge Cigarettes. There's a striking confidence to her pose; almost defiant, I would say. What symbols or messages jump out at you? Curator: Immediately, the costume signals a performative identity. Notice the frogging on her uniform - not inherently masculine, but visually associating her with roles of power or authority, or at the very least spectacle. Do you get a sense of what type of role she plays? Editor: It does give a slightly masculine impression, almost military with the frogging... But, it is hard to tell. Curator: Precisely. This tension - between the overtly feminine presentation and a costume borrowed from a traditionally male domain - is central. Cigarette cards like this played on anxieties surrounding changing gender roles, presenting actresses as both objects of desire and figures of independent agency. Editor: That is a good point about how she both reflects and disrupts convention! How does it relate to "Old Judge Cigarettes?" Curator: The image subtly links "Miss Dashwood's" alluring image to the consumption of the cigarettes, implying a connection between female empowerment and the product, playing to a market eager to embrace a changing, albeit ambiguous, social landscape. What kind of legacy does this suggest? Editor: It’s fascinating how it uses this emerging symbolism and commodifies it, almost turning her persona into a desirable trait the consumer can embody through purchasing a cigarette. Very cunning! Curator: Cunning indeed, and deeply embedded in the social anxieties and aspirations of the late 19th century. Food for thought!