Actress from the Old Judge series (N167) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886

Editor: Here we have "Actress from the Old Judge series" made around 1886, credited to Goodwin & Company. It’s a lithograph, one of those small cards that came with Old Judge Cigarettes. There’s a kind of simple charm to this portrait; what jumps out at you about it? Curator: Well, immediately, I see a collision of the burgeoning advertising industry and the rising cult of celebrity. These cards served to both promote cigarettes and immortalize stage actresses, solidifying their public image. Editor: That's interesting. So it's about more than just selling tobacco? Curator: Exactly. It reflects the transformation of entertainment and leisure in the late 19th century, as well as the power of images to circulate and shape public opinion. This "Old Judge" brand becomes linked in the consumer's mind with beauty and talent. Doesn’t this card remind you of the ways products get celebrity endorsements today? Editor: That’s true! It's almost a proto-influencer situation. Did this form of advertising affect how women actors were perceived? Curator: I believe it did. It made actresses more visible but also turned them into commodities. We see pictorialism and elements of japonisme creeping into even the presentation on this small lithograph. Consider the implications: how did mass-produced imagery redefine the relationship between performers and the public? Editor: I hadn't thought about the artist's influence this way before. Thank you! Curator: It is interesting to consider how these popular representations reinforce ideas about the individual and success in this particular period of mass cultural change.