Card Number 58, De Roy, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This is Card Number 58, De Roy, from the Actors and Actresses series, printed by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes around the turn of the century. Here, we see a woman in costume, a theatrical representation that suggests a narrative beyond the frame. Notice how the actress casually places her hands behind her head, a gesture of repose. We see this pose echoed through time, even in classical depictions of Venus. Consider Botticelli’s Venus, her languid pose is an ancestor of this actress's stance. But here, the pose is complicated; it carries a modern twist, repurposed for a mass-produced tobacco card. It's fascinating to observe how gestures of classical art can be democratized. They migrate from high art into popular culture. Just like that, the power of visual symbols is undiminished as it crosses the boundaries of time and form.