Plate 40, from the Fans of the Period series (N7) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1889

Editor: This is Plate 40 from the Fans of the Period series, made around 1889 by Allen & Ginter. It seems to be a drawing, maybe using coloured pencils, and then reproduced as a print. I'm struck by how... ordinary she looks, despite all the finery. What catches your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: "Ordinary" is a funny word, isn't it? I see a woman caught between worlds. It is, as you noted, a print of a coloured pencil drawing, originally a cigarette card! Consider the ephemeral nature of smoke against the seemingly timeless appeal of idealized beauty. What secrets does that fan hide, you wonder? What's *her* story, beyond being a decorative element in a capitalist venture? Editor: A cigarette card... that's so strange! I hadn't really thought about it as an advertisement before. The fan is interesting, almost like it's a screen to hide behind. Do you think she's embracing or rejecting the Japonisme trend that's been linked to the artwork? Curator: That’s the question of the hour, isn't it? Japonisme in the West wasn't always about genuine understanding, was it? Sometimes it was just surface decoration. Is *she* in on the trend, or is she just another product *of* it? Perhaps that almost wary expression hints at her knowing more than she lets on. The slightly muted colour palette hints at realism instead of idolisation; there is an acknowledgement here of the limitations women faced then. Maybe? Editor: I see what you mean! It's almost as if her gaze is challenging the viewer. All this packed onto something originally printed for cigarette cards! Curator: Exactly! Little portals to ponder the vast and messy tapestry of culture and commerce. Cigarettes and dreams, darling. Cigarettes and dreams.