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

Editor: This is "Annie Somerville, from the Actors and Actresses series" made between 1886 and 1890 by Goodwin & Company. It's a photographic print, and it feels both staged and somehow…powerful. I’m struck by how she’s holding that sword. How do you interpret this work? Curator: I see a fascinating conflation of roles and expectations. Consider the cigarette card format itself—a miniature emblem of mass culture, circulated widely. And within that frame, we find Annie Somerville, not simply as herself, but costumed, armed with a sword, and gazing defiantly at us. Does the sword here represent her independence or is it merely part of her costume? Editor: That's interesting. I hadn't thought about the cigarette card as a medium with its own message. Is the sword then more of a symbol of her profession as an actress? Curator: Perhaps. What does the placement of the sword say to you? Notice how it bisects the image horizontally at waist level, both accentuating and challenging traditional markers of feminine identity. It acts as a kind of cultural memory of the powerful women of the past: perhaps an Amazon, an allegorical female warrior… Images accumulate layers of meaning over time, intertwining personal aspirations with societal ideals. Is she powerful or sexualized? Or both? Editor: I see what you mean! The sword seems to contradict, or maybe complicate, the theatrical costume. Thanks, I'm understanding more about how symbols work across contexts. Curator: Absolutely. Exploring how an image functions as both a product of its time and a timeless signifier—that’s where the real richness lies. It holds so much encoded history that becomes an experience to unearth!