Emma Sampson, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This is a late nineteenth-century trade card of Emma Sampson, from the Actors and Actresses series, produced by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. The image offers a glimpse into the complex dynamics of celebrity, gender, and commerce during this period. Sampson is dressed in what looks like a military-inspired outfit with a very cinched waist, holding a long thin rope aloft. The advertisement participates in the fetishization of female performers, whose likenesses were used to sell everything from cigarettes to soap. There's a tension in this small card; while the image seems to celebrate the independent spirit of the actress, it simultaneously confines her to a role as a promotional tool, reflecting the tightrope women walked to gain autonomy. Looking at this card, one can't help but feel the weight of societal expectations placed on women even as they sought to define their own identities.