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

Editor: So, here we have "Mlle. Andre, Paris, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes" made by Goodwin & Company between 1886 and 1890. It’s a small print, originally part of a cigarette card set. It’s sepia toned, a bit faded… almost ghostly. What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: Immediately, I'm drawn to the implied narratives within the image itself and how they relate to *our* cultural memory. The figure, Mlle. Andre, an actress, is frozen in a gesture—what is she enacting? What role is she playing, and how does that echo in the roles women were expected to play in that era, and even now? Do you see how the cigarette brand connects luxury with performance and the female form? Editor: That’s fascinating! I hadn’t considered the implied role and expectations. It does feel like a performance, especially knowing it was for advertising. What do you think her gesture signifies? Is she holding a fan? Curator: Precisely! A fan can be a complex symbol: flirtation, concealment, even a call to arms depending on the context. Given this was a commercial image, intended to associate cigarettes with allure and sophistication, I’d argue it is meant to evoke a specific type of feminine mystique. A controlled unveiling, if you will, which speaks volumes about how women's images were commodified. This reading highlights how we subconsciously, culturally associate meaning. Editor: It's strange to think that a cigarette card can reveal so much about cultural expectations. Thank you! Curator: Indeed! Each seemingly simple image is a storehouse of social and historical memory, if we know how to look closely and ask the right questions.