Della Fox, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 8) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This photographic card of Della Fox, from the Actors and Actresses series, was produced by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. Here, the actress is captured in mid-performance, holding a tambourine aloft. The tambourine, a symbol of revelry and ecstatic expression, echoes through time. We see it in the hands of maenads in ancient Greek bacchanals, their frenzied dances a conduit to divine ecstasy. The gesture of raising the tambourine, too, resonates with a primal, almost instinctual desire to connect with something beyond ourselves. Think of religious processions, rituals of dance, or even the simple act of a child reaching for the sky. It is a symbol of joy, triumph, and the uninhibited expression of emotion. Note how the image's composition—the upward thrust of her body, the raised tambourine—creates a sense of dynamism and liberation. This is no mere portrait; it's a captured moment of pure, unadulterated energy, a collective memory from the ages.