Miss Mortimer, from the Actresses series (N203) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

"Miss Mortimer, from the Actresses series (N203)", was created by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. as a small-scale promotional card. The sepia tone flattens the image, distilling it to its most fundamental shapes and lines. Mortimer's pose is strikingly modern; she sits casually, directing her gaze off to the side. This creates a dynamic tension within the frame. The composition is divided into distinct zones: the figure, the backdrop, and the textual branding below. Semiotically, the image signifies both individual celebrity and corporate identity, reflecting a late 19th-century intersection of fame and commerce. The actress, rendered through the reproductive technology of the era, becomes a signifier in a larger cultural discourse about representation and consumerism. Note how the scale reduces the actress to a token; this speaks to the commodification of identity and challenges fixed notions of artistic value.