Mlle. de Lussan, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Editor: This is Mlle. de Lussan from the Actors and Actresses series for Virginia Brights Cigarettes, dating from 1885 to 1891. It's a photograph, mounted as a small card. What do you see when you look at it? Curator: It's fascinating to consider this image as a convergence of several cultural threads. The fact that an actress's image, a woman in the public eye, is being used to sell cigarettes speaks volumes about the commodification of femininity and celebrity at the time. What do you make of the framing of women as commodities here? Editor: It does feel very objectifying. I suppose I hadn’t considered the implication of a woman’s image literally being sold along with a product. Curator: Exactly. It raises questions about the power dynamics at play. The male gaze is almost palpable here. Furthermore, the "Virginia Brights" tie-in points to the cultural associations between smoking and sophistication, and perhaps even a rebellious sense of freedom marketed towards women. Editor: I see what you mean. So, it’s not just a portrait but also a statement, however subtle, about gender and social expectations? Curator: Precisely. How might we view this differently through, say, a feminist lens today? Consider the potential for both empowerment and exploitation inherent in a woman's image being so widely circulated. The photograph immortalizes Mlle. de Lussan but also makes her vulnerable. What kind of dialogue does this card spark with our contemporary understandings of image ownership and representation? Editor: I guess I was viewing this as just an image, but its connection to larger ideas about commodification and gender is something I had never even considered before. Curator: That's the power of art history. It pushes us to confront uncomfortable truths and complex social dynamics embedded within even the most seemingly innocent images. It's a journey of perpetual unlearning and relearning.