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

Curator: This is a portrait of Marie Burroughs from the Actors and Actresses series created by Goodwin & Company between 1886 and 1890. It was made as a promotional item for Old Judge Cigarettes. Editor: The first thing that strikes me is its quiet mood. Burroughs looks downwards, her expression contemplative. There's a delicacy to the tones, a sort of aged, sepia wash that lends a certain gravitas, despite being, at its heart, advertisement. Curator: Precisely! Consider the process: photography reproduced via print. We have this convergence of burgeoning photographic technology meeting the needs of mass-produced, mass-marketed tobacco. The material conditions of labor behind this... Editor: Absolutely, let’s also consider Marie Burroughs herself. While presented passively, demurely looking downward as was considered ‘proper’, the very inclusion of actresses—women stepping into the public sphere—on these cards disrupted Victorian norms. Tobacco advertising, a vehicle promoting a traditionally male activity, ironically elevated actresses within a visual economy. Curator: A fascinating intersection of commerce and evolving social roles! Furthermore, examine the card stock, the printing techniques of the era. What kind of paper? How were these images rendered onto it, and in what quantities? Think about waste too. Cigarette cards are such interesting primary sources when trying to account for both consumer behavior, manufacturing capacities, and material cultures of late nineteenth century America. Editor: Right, the commodification of the female image for the sake of tobacco profits. Her very likeness is consumed. And while these cards did bring actresses visibility, it was visibility contingent on fulfilling certain standards of beauty and desirability that would move product, of course, reinforcing some pretty restrictive expectations placed on women within theatre, but arguably pushing for more visibility at the same time. A tension there. Curator: A complex artifact then, revealing the processes by which celebrity and consumption were intertwined in late 19th century America. Thank you for that important social context! Editor: And thank you for spotlighting how the very method of production is equally entangled in these layered readings.