Mlle. Delarme, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1890 - 1895

This small promotional card, created by W. Duke, Sons & Co., presents Mlle. Delarme, an actress of her time, adorned with a pearl necklace. The pearl necklace, simple as it may seem, carries echoes of Venus, emerging from the sea, reborn from a shell, covered in pearls. This archetype, a symbol of purity and status, finds itself in Renaissance paintings, worn by women of power and grace. Observe how the pearl necklace enhances her beauty, while also subtly suggesting the actress is a valuable object, much like the cigarettes the card promotes. This act of adornment isn't isolated. Like a constellation of stars in our cultural memory, the pearl necklace reappears throughout art history, each time adapting to its context, its own Nachleben. It symbolizes the cyclical nature of symbols—reborn, repurposed, and ever-present.