Hattie Stark, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This small card, part of Allen and Ginter’s series for Virginia Brights Cigarettes, presents actress Hattie Stark in a seemingly candid moment. The sepia tone lends a nostalgic quality, emphasizing texture over vivid color. Structurally, the composition divides into thirds, balancing Stark’s figure on a swing with the atmospheric background and textual advertisement below. The swing, formed by a strong horizontal bar and vertical ropes, creates a visual frame that contains and almost suspends the actress. Stark’s off-center positioning is crucial; her gaze avoids direct engagement, suggesting a world elsewhere. The image teeters between a constructed pose for commercial purposes and a semblance of naturalness, revealing tensions between public image and private persona. Note how the soft focus blurs the edges, making the image appear dreamlike and ephemeral. This treatment highlights not just Stark’s likeness but also the manufactured allure typical of celebrity endorsements, an intentional aesthetic for creating desire and fantasy.