Annie Summerville, Corsair Co., from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Editor: This is a portrait of Annie Summerville from the Actors and Actresses series by Allen & Ginter, dating from 1885 to 1891. It’s a cigarette card, a print of a drawing, really small and kind of sepia-toned. She's dressed as a... corsair, I guess, which was a type of pirate, leaning against a decorative wall. It has such an ephemeral quality. What do you see when you look at this? Curator: This piece is particularly interesting because it bridges the worlds of entertainment, consumer culture, and the representation of women. These cards were designed to be collected, traded, and admired, much like social media today. Think about the implications of using a woman’s image to sell cigarettes during this period. What power dynamics are at play here? Editor: It feels exploitative, but I wonder if Summerville herself had any agency? Curator: Exactly. While seemingly objectifying, these cards also offered a platform for women in the entertainment industry to gain visibility and recognition, but within very constrained societal expectations. The “corsair” costume invites questions, too. Who was able to perform certain identities, and what were the societal consequences for transgressing gender or race categories? This relates directly to theatre, of course. How does it reflect gender and sexuality norms of the time? Editor: It makes you wonder how different Annie's life might have been off stage. It is hard to know what she truly thought, but being put on a card is definitely quite something, even if she didn't have control over the process. Curator: Absolutely. Thinking about this image in terms of labor, visibility, and the complex negotiation of identity adds layers of depth. What seemed like a simple advertisement holds up to broader understandings of women in society.