Mlle. Steading, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-8) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes 1890 - 1895

This promotional card of Mlle. Steading was produced by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Duke Cigarettes. Note how the figure, adorned in a pristine white dress, clutches a bouquet. This presentation of purity and innocence, deeply ingrained in the cultural memory of the late 19th century, is intentionally constructed. We have seen it before in other works: Botticelli's Venus wrings her hair in modesty as she is born from the sea. Here, Mlle. Steading holds flowers, evoking the classical goddess Flora, which is suggestive of renewal and beauty. The flowers she holds are more than mere decoration. They are potent symbols, tied to notions of fertility, transient beauty, and the ephemeral nature of life itself. This symbol has an uncanny psychological power that resonates with us on a deep, subconscious level, triggering memories and emotions associated with life's fleeting moments.