Mlle. Marthe Lys, Paris, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

Curator: This card, part of the Actors and Actresses series, was created by Goodwin & Company between 1886 and 1890 as a promotional item for Old Judge Cigarettes. It depicts Mlle. Marthe Lys, a Parisian performer. Editor: The sepia tones and slightly distressed surface give it such a melancholy aura, doesn’t it? It's almost dreamlike, a memory struggling to hold its form. Curator: It's collotype, a printmaking process where a photographically produced image is transferred onto a gelatin-coated plate. This method allowed for mass production, which speaks to the booming tobacco industry and the rising popularity of celebrity culture at the time. Editor: Ah, the cigarette card. Tiny portals into idealized lives! It’s funny to think how everyday objects like this acted as canvases, circulating images and shaping perceptions, wouldn’t you agree? I love seeing the visible texture that mimics charcoal drawing to give her an artistic edge. Curator: Precisely. Each card served not only as advertisement but also as a collectible, a tangible piece of fame available to the masses. Look closely at her attire—the striped skirt, the elaborate detailing. Her dress suggests a certain status. It also serves a deliberate purpose; these portraits catered to public desires, a little glitz to brighten up your day as you open your pack. Editor: Absolutely, this isn't just an image; it's a carefully manufactured dream, intended to sell you more than just tobacco. It's the performance of the everyday—filtered through celebrity and commercial promise. A commodity in disguise if you will. What lingers is this peculiar mix of aspiration and melancholy captured on a cardboard rectangle, the material life of stardom ready to burn into smoke. Curator: Yes, there is that strange blend isn’t there? Makes one consider about the fragility of celebrity, of the images we consume…it is here then quickly disappears into nothing, doesn’t it? Editor: And just as the memory of those stars faded as cigarette smoke vanishes…