Adelaide Neilson in Colors of Union Yacht Club, from the Yacht Colors of the World series (N140) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1890

This late 19th-century lithograph by W. Duke, Sons & Co. portrays Adelaide Neilson adorned with symbols of the Union Yacht Club. Flags bearing stars and an anchor pendant stand out, each laden with historical and cultural weight. Consider the star, a motif stretching back to ancient Sumerian art, representing celestial guidance and divine favor. Its recurrence across millennia, from the Star of Ishtar to the stars on modern flags, reveals a primal human impulse to connect with the cosmos, a visual echo resonating through collective memory. Similarly, the anchor, a symbol of hope and steadfastness, has been with us since ancient Greece and Rome, a subtle expression of subconscious yearning for stability. Its presence here, combined with the naval flags, illustrates the enduring symbolic power of these emblems that evoke the emotional security connected to the sea, a sentiment felt across cultures and generations. In observing these symbols, we witness not a linear progression but a cyclical return of images, each iteration colored by the context of its time.