Mlle. Tissot, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-7) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

Curator: Let's talk about "Mlle. Tissot," a trade card from the 1880s, part of the Actors and Actresses series issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes. It’s currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: My immediate impression is one of subtle tension. The soft focus gives a romantic feel, but the direct gaze and the commercial inscription beneath...it's an odd mix. Curator: Precisely! It’s fascinating how this small print functioned. Tobacco companies utilized such images as marketing tools; inexpensive yet circulated widely. This card stock itself— what does its fragility say about the transient nature of celebrity and consumer desire? Editor: And what about the actress herself? Mlle. Tissot. Her name promises something exotic, perhaps a connection to the painter James Tissot, known for his depictions of fashionable women. Was it intentional to connect her with the aspirational lifestyle associated with the leisure classes through name alone? Curator: It highlights the blurred lines between entertainment, aspiration, and consumption in the late 19th century. Notice how her presentation –the simple dress, cropped hair, confident stare– contributes to that. Editor: The framing, her pose…they evoke a sense of intimacy but also commodification. I wonder about her personal narrative versus what the company projected onto her. Tobacco advertising employed the idea of glamour. Was she complicit, unaware, or both? Curator: An excellent point. The image, beyond its pictorial representation, actively participated in the construction of both her persona and Duke Cigarettes' brand image, making the company itself complicit, of course. Her face is essentially raw material used for profit. Editor: Exactly. This unassuming portrait of Mlle. Tissot reminds us how images of public figures are deeply connected to societal shifts and economics, with psychological intent beyond the immediate sale of tobacco. It leaves me thinking of the hidden stories behind seemingly innocuous ephemera. Curator: Yes, examining this print reminds us that it’s more than just marketing; it reflects how labor, celebrity and consumerism converged in this particular historical context. Editor: Absolutely, this small token contains entire worlds worth examining.