Fuchsia: Taste, from the series Floral Beauties and Language of Flowers (N75) for Duke brand cigarettes 1892

Editor: Here we have a print from 1892 titled "Fuchsia: Taste," part of the series "Floral Beauties and Language of Flowers" by the American Tobacco Company. The imagery, with a lady posing alongside vibrant fuchsia, is certainly eye-catching. I am intrigued by its layered composition. What formal elements stand out to you? Curator: Certainly. Notice the interplay of line and color, the figure almost emerges from within the detailed network of floral representation. The lines are sinuous and contain elements of both restraint and exuberance; the palette relies on contrast to highlight certain important contrasts between form, shadow, and symmetry. How do you interpret this tension? Editor: I see that the flower nearly overtakes the figure. It almost looks like the model’s face is superimposed. Curator: Precisely! This placement produces what we might call an intentional destabilization. See the deliberate juxtaposition, wherein the face mirrors that of the adjacent flower and highlights a certain type of natural or aesthetic beauty. This invites us to interpret a formal dialectic, the point to which their interaction suggests how we find both taste and sight intertwined. What happens if you invert this relation? Editor: Perhaps in such cases, their placement serves to reflect something intrinsic. Thanks! I find the composition much more understandable. Curator: I appreciate the perspective, recognizing such formal qualities and the means by which one can investigate them.