[Actress wearing wide-brimmed hat], from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1890 - 1895

Editor: This print, "[Actress wearing wide-brimmed hat]," was created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. sometime between 1890 and 1895 as a promotional item. It strikes me as quite intriguing, this poised woman with her interesting garb. How do you interpret this work? Curator: This image offers a glimpse into the complex intersections of performance, identity, and consumer culture at the turn of the century. Beyond its surface as a cigarette card, consider the socio-political implications of portraying a woman, an actress specifically, in the public sphere. How might her costume challenge or reinforce gender expectations of the period? Editor: That's interesting, because I hadn't really considered the performative aspect outside of the literal one – she is an actress, after all! Curator: Exactly. Think about the intended audience for these cards. They were overwhelmingly male. What message is conveyed by associating smoking, a predominantly male activity at the time, with a woman who commands attention through her dress and profession? Editor: It’s almost like she’s both endorsing the product and asserting herself. Is that a subversive act for the time? Curator: Potentially, yes. The distribution of her image also brings questions around labor, as the actress is in some sense selling not only her artistic talent but her image, and that is further being used to market Duke's product. Do you think that the commercialization of women’s images might grant some level of agency, even if limited? Editor: I think so. It seems complicated, a real mixed bag of exploitation and opportunity, particularly at that time. Thanks, this has really opened my eyes. Curator: And likewise for me. It's important to remember that even seemingly simple images like these can be powerful documents of a particular time, revealing a great deal about social dynamics and power structures.