Card Number 157, Gracie Wilson, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-6) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

Curator: This is card number 157 from the Actors and Actresses series, circa 1880s. It features Gracie Wilson and was produced by Duke Sons & Co. as a promotional item for Duke Cigarettes. What strikes you first? Editor: An immediate sense of ambiguous gender expression. Gracie is rocking this almost dandyish, yet oddly boyish, ensemble...like a proto-Marlene Dietrich in breeches. But then you get the overall "selling cigarettes" vibe—there's definitely an interesting duality here. Curator: Absolutely, it is worth remembering that publicity was often considered outrageous at that time and therefore successful. So there is the idea of liberation attached, though what is really being offered is nicotine addiction. It's an albumen print, a very common photographic process then. Does that particular process spark anything in your readings? Editor: Oh, yes, albumen prints… They give the image a unique kind of warmth, almost a golden luminescence. And you’re right – they were wildly popular for carte-de-visite portraits like this. The Victorians were really into collecting these sorts of images of public figures. Gracie must have been very popular indeed to warrant a trading card in a tobacco pack. Curator: What kind of character might she play on the stage, do you think? Her gaze seems to invite adventure and transgression. Her slight smile seems to whisper, "dare to defy expectations". It almost makes me feel slightly nervous, or intimidated. Editor: I would say that confidence seems to be her best garment! It could also be interpreted as being rather blasé, and in any case her costume feels allegorical. Is it not curious to dress up a women in mans clothing to get her seen, but on the understanding that the costume may then be understood in a way that makes it not masculine at all? Curator: Nicely put, it definitely feels designed for a certain gaze. Perhaps it is simply the fact of performance. So the act is just a costume of confidence! This image really captures the zeitgeist. Editor: In the end, this photograph, like so many others of the era, speaks volumes about Victorian attitudes towards gender, celebrity, and even consumerism. Thank you, Gracie! Curator: Yes, I am taking away a lot more than I expected from such a small image! Another cultural seed well worth growing.