Card 771, Annie Summerfield, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 2) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Curator: This is Card 771, depicting Annie Summerfield, and it comes to us from Allen & Ginter’s "Actors and Actresses" series. These cards were produced between 1885 and 1891 as trade cards for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. Editor: The overall sepia tone and the formal pose give it a very vintage feel, obviously. But I am particularly drawn to her attire. The elaborate feather in her cap, the chain with floral medallions, it suggests a regal or theatrical character, even fantastical. Curator: Indeed. These cards provided a valuable form of marketing for consumer goods during a period when the availability of printed media and color illustration was fairly limited. In this case, Allen & Ginter aimed to add some value by associating their brand of cigarettes with contemporary public figures. Summerfield, however, seems lost to history beyond this specific portrayal. Editor: The theatrical association rings true to me; she’s posed as a kind of stage queen. What do you make of the neutral backdrop contrasting the meticulously crafted look and the tiny brand placement? Does it undermine its aura somehow? Curator: Quite the contrary. It suggests to the consumers of the time the social and political reach that smoking afforded them. This connection could also imply to those with different class identities, whether they identified as aspirational or historically elite, to purchase such materials. It gives us an example of the subtle, class based forms of advertisement of the era. Editor: That makes a lot of sense. I'd never considered it in that light. The visual language speaks directly to aspiration, doesn't it? It shows the cultural power projected through popular personas during the time period. Curator: Exactly. Understanding these cards necessitates diving into both the social conditions of production and the evolving iconography around public image, especially for actresses at the time. Editor: It’s striking how a small, everyday object can reveal so much about a bygone era’s values and desires. Curator: Absolutely. Each little card provides an invitation to consider how fame, aspiration, and commerce intersected at a particular historical moment.