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

Curator: This piece is from Allen & Ginter, part of their "Actors and Actresses" series created between 1885 and 1891. It's titled "Annie Robe, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes,” and is a gelatin silver print. Editor: Oh, the delicacy of it! A world away from the shouty adverts we see today. The sepia tones and her downcast eyes evoke a certain… longing. A delicate bloom on her cheeks; it's almost melancholic. Curator: These cards were included in cigarette packs. Imagine, alongside your smokes, a tiny portrait of a celebrated performer. It connected everyday pleasure with a touch of glamour. Annie Robe herself, I believe, was an actress of some note at the time. Editor: Exactly! This image transcends advertising; it becomes a memento, a token of affection, maybe? There's something subtly intimate about the composition, with her face in profile, a sort of dreamy remove. Like gazing at a loved one lost in thought. And to be so fragile, these photographs! Now handled only by white gloves... how it has changed over time, its symbolism layered by our own. Curator: Absolutely. The cards functioned as collectible items as well. The fact they used gelatin silver prints says a lot. This wasn't cheap to produce and it gave a fantastic tonality, really quite amazing! These celebrity portraits weren't just ads; they were aspirations packaged alongside nicotine. It makes one ponder who exactly it was intended for and the level of appreciation the art was given... if it was even looked at beyond just another disposable 'trinket.' Editor: Yes! Consider the symbolic weight: The photograph, the cigarette, Annie Robe’s fame—all temporary pleasures and transient beauties enshrined together. A miniature monument to fleeting things! These are beautiful ephemera that speak volumes, from social habits to material culture to aesthetics, offering many perspectives on our continuous cycle. I’m really drawn to this piece's intimate quality, the fact it almost feels lost now - it carries such tender pathos! Curator: Well said. It makes one appreciate the ephemeral nature of fame and the ingenuity of turning popular faces into powerful sales tools, and even, eventually, historical artifacts, and it makes me question what products are being advertised now in the same context.