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

Curator: Hmm, faded sepia tones. Makes you wonder what life was like behind those eyes. A fleeting impression of elegance tinged with melancholy, perhaps. Editor: Indeed! Let's take a closer look. What we're seeing is a trade card, or cabinet card to be precise, made between 1886 and 1890, featuring actress Ida Jeffries. It's from a series called "Actors and Actresses" produced by Goodwin & Company for Old Judge Cigarettes. Curator: So, pure marketing then? Reducing an artist to a brand? I always find something tragic in that. Alluring, yes, but still sad. Editor: Well, it's more complex than just exploitation. These cards democratized portraiture. Photography was becoming more accessible, but these cards made images of famous figures available to a wider public. Collecting them became a popular hobby. Think of it as an early form of fandom, boosting celebrity culture, and, sure, sales, at the same time. Curator: Fandom, yes. But the cigarettes. So many talented throats ruined by nicotine...it taints the image a bit, doesn't it? It does for me. The pose is striking; relaxed yet posed, but that connection always makes me a bit sad, really. Editor: That juxtaposition is precisely what makes it historically interesting! Here we have high and low culture colliding. Art and commerce hand-in-hand, even if it leaves a somewhat bittersweet taste. Curator: Precisely that intersection of public persona and hidden cost is fascinating. An actress promoting an addictive substance; the pursuit of fame, however small, over everything. It’s a story in an image, or two images overlaid as one. Editor: A double exposure in meaning, perhaps. It really gives you a fascinating look into the era, how advertising worked and how images spread. We think about the internet and memes going viral now, and how quickly images gain popularity. The distribution methods have changed over time, but our appetite for images hasn't. Curator: Perhaps even heightened, when I look at it that way. Now, let's find something a bit more hopeful, eh? Editor: I completely agree, that sounds wonderful. It was lovely getting to think about all the ways an image becomes both beautiful and disturbing with you.