Actress from the Old Judge series (N167) for Old Judge and Gypsy Queen Cigarettes 1886

This small advertisement card, part of the "Old Judge" series, was created by Goodwin & Company to promote cigarettes. The actress, adorned with layers of jewelry and a decorative hat, is titled “Gypsy Queen.” This romanticized figure is a clear appeal to exoticism, a motif we see echoing through centuries, from Delacroix’s odalisques to early photography. The word "Gypsy" itself evokes a sense of the nomadic, the mysterious, and the alluring. Yet, this romanticized image overshadows the reality of the Romani people, a group historically marginalized and misrepresented. How often do we see the weight of cultural projection overshadow the true history of a symbol? This collective fascination, bordering on obsession, with the exotic “other” reveals a psychological landscape as rich as it is fraught with potential misinterpretations, resurfacing again and again in our cultural expressions.