Card Number 257, Laura Burt, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-7) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1880s

Editor: This is "Card Number 257, Laura Burt," a print from the 1880s by W. Duke, Sons & Co. It was created as advertisement for Duke Cigarettes, and now resides at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The portrait has a gentle, almost nostalgic quality. It seems like an artifact from a bygone era. What symbols or cultural associations come to mind when you see this? Curator: Immediately, the hat speaks to me. The wide brim acts as a halo, almost sacralizing the subject. In a time of rapidly shifting social roles, the performative aspect of clothing, particularly hats, became incredibly significant. They signified status, aspiration, even rebellion. This seemingly simple portrait is a nexus of identity and cultural performance. The cigarette advertisement also represents a shift in female identity. Editor: That's fascinating! I hadn't considered the hat as a symbol of identity in that period. Do you see the fact that it was linked to cigarette advertisement meaningful? Curator: Absolutely! The image links notions of feminine beauty and independence, but crucially ties it to a habit, a consumer product. Think about it – what is being advertised here? Is it tobacco or a lifestyle? The psychological weight is quite cunning; It subtly plants the seed that consumption equals aspiration, desire, or freedom. It reflects anxieties and ambitions of the Gilded Age. Editor: I'm seeing it with fresh eyes now. It’s not just a pretty picture; it's a little time capsule. Curator: Exactly! These images reflect how the world thought of themselves, but also who they wanted to become, the performance of modernity itself. Editor: I will always have a new approach while considering historical artworks now. Curator: Exactly, it reveals memory within.