May Hanley, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

Editor: So, this is "May Hanley," from the Actors and Actresses series, made between 1886 and 1890 by Goodwin & Company, currently housed at the Met. It seems like a photographic print originally produced for Old Judge Cigarettes. There's a certain detached formality about the portrait, which seems at odds with its commercial purpose. What do you see in this piece beyond the surface? Curator: What I see is a powerful intersection of gender, labor, and consumer culture in the late 19th century. The "Old Judge Cigarettes" series, and others like it, essentially commodified women’s images. May Hanley, as an actress, was already a public figure, but here she's transformed into a promotional tool. This raises critical questions: Who benefits from this representation, and at what cost? Editor: That’s fascinating. I hadn't considered the exploitative aspect so explicitly. Does her specific pose or expression contribute to this commodification, do you think? Curator: Absolutely. Consider the demure side profile, the emphasis on her beauty, while the “Old Judge Cigarettes” logo sits prominently below. Her identity is simultaneously highlighted and subsumed by the advertising agenda. Also, think about the male gaze at play. How does this image function to sell cigarettes, and what assumptions does it make about its target audience and their desires? Editor: It's disheartening to realize the power dynamics embedded in something as seemingly innocuous as a cigarette card. Curator: Indeed. By understanding these images within their historical and social context, we can unpack the ways in which power, representation, and consumption were – and still are – intertwined. We are then empowered to have critical conversations around historical injustices and the continuing struggle for fair representation and gender equality in our image-saturated contemporary world. Editor: I'll definitely be thinking differently about these kinds of historical images moving forward. Thanks for shedding light on the deeper layers at play.