Card Number 192, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes 1880s

This photogravure, published by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes, presents three figures posed against a theatrical backdrop. Note the attire of the figures to either side, whose garb is reminiscent of classical depictions of androgyny in mythology, reflecting a fluidity of identity. This blurring of gender norms echoes through art history, appearing in Renaissance paintings and ancient sculptures, each era imbuing it with new cultural significance. The central figure, adorned in finery, holds a fan, a gesture seen in countless portraits of the era, yet here, the fan seems less about coquetry and more about creating a sense of mystery. In Freudian terms, we might consider how this imagery taps into our collective unconscious, evoking desires, fears, and fantasies related to gender and identity. Such symbols recur throughout history, each time reshaped by societal attitudes, demonstrating the cyclical return and reinvention of cultural themes.