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

Curator: This small printed photograph features Mlle. De Aubray and originates from the Goodwin & Company "Actors and Actresses" series, which was circulated with Old Judge Cigarettes between 1886 and 1890. Editor: My first thought is: fragile. It's small, sepia-toned, like a whisper from a vanished era. Almost ethereal, she seems caught in a suspended moment, with those upraised hands. Curator: Precisely, the photographic image allows us to explore intersections of gender, performance, and commercial culture. Actresses and performers navigated complex societal expectations while contributing to burgeoning visual economies. Editor: It feels intimate, despite the commercial context. You see that hint of defiance or perhaps… resignation? in her posture. I imagine the flash of the camera, the air thick with smoke, a performance captured and instantly commodified. There's a poignant beauty in that contrast. Curator: I find it interesting to consider the dynamics of spectatorship at the time, especially as related to conceptions of ideal womanhood in conjunction with emergent visual technologies and marketing tactics. Consider this image, printed and mass-produced, became available as a collectable via a cigarette purchase. Editor: Right, a fleeting indulgence, literally up in smoke. What remains is this miniature monument, pregnant with unspoken stories, a dance between exposure and vulnerability. I bet there’s tons of her uncredited performances captured out there. Curator: The cigarette cards raise critical questions about agency, representation, and consumption. What visual narratives were being disseminated? To what extent did they shape perceptions of femininity and celebrity? These cards really underscore the power dynamics in the construction and circulation of images, especially concerning marginalized or unconventional female figures. Editor: Absolutely, this wisp of image makes me think about those vanished theaters, the sweat, the make-up, the gaslights. Each little sepia figure contains multitudes, fighting for visibility inside a culture that often seeks to erase them. Curator: Thinking critically about art such as this requires examining its broader socio-historical context and recognizing it within patterns of representation and systems of power, especially the dynamics of commercial imagery during the late nineteenth century. Editor: This artifact allows a momentary glimpse into someone's dream. The cigarette ad reminds me, art—performance—it all floats on a sea of consumption. Thanks to Goodwin & Company we’ve had an insightful and unexpected look at De Aubray.