Card 576, Cora Loomis, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Editor: Here we have an albumen print from between 1885 and 1891, part of the "Actors and Actresses" series by Allen & Ginter, featuring Cora Loomis. The sepia tone gives it a nostalgic feel. What catches your eye in this particular image? Curator: The first thing that strikes me is the figure's gaze, directed downwards, seemingly absorbed by the small book in her hands. It evokes a sense of interiority, of private thought. But consider, too, the cultural context: this was an era where images of women, particularly actresses, were carefully constructed. Editor: So, beyond the immediate image, what symbols are at play? Curator: The very act of reading was, and sometimes still is, loaded with symbolic meaning. Is it a sign of intellect? Refinement? Dependence on a written culture? And the presentation of an actress in this pose - does it invite admiration, or something else? And consider where this image appears—on a cigarette card. Editor: Interesting! How does the context of being a cigarette card influence the meaning? Curator: It becomes a tool for commodification, doesn't it? Loomis's image is linked to a consumer product, embedding her likeness within the emerging visual culture of the time. It encourages collecting, desiring, and associating glamour with an everyday habit. Editor: So it's more than just a pretty picture. I hadn’t thought of it that way. Curator: Indeed. Images speak volumes when we listen closely to their historical echoes and cultural implications. The photograph tells a story not just of a woman, but also of an era consumed with both visual and literal narratives. It serves as a memory device of who we once were.