Joli Gilles, Paris, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This cigarette card, part of Allen & Ginter’s "Actors and Actresses" series, presents a theatrical portrayal of "Joli Gilles," a character deeply rooted in the Commedia dell'Arte tradition. Here we observe the melancholic clown, a figure akin to Pierrot, dressed in a white costume. His open mouth is reminiscent of dramatic masks found in ancient Greek theatre, designed to amplify emotion and project the voice. This echoes the timeless human impulse to express profound feelings through performance. The image is heavy with emotion, it evokes a sense of profound sorrow that transcends time. The motifs of the clown and the mask are recurrent symbols of the human condition, of sorrow and laughter, ever-present. It is an emotional archetype that resurfaces again and again, each time molded by the zeitgeist.