May Merrion, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1890

Curator: Here we have a print from 1890, originating with the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company. This portrait, part of the Actresses series, showcases May Merrion, advertising Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Editor: Isn't it amazing how a little photograph can transport you? She seems so full of mischief, ready to leap off the card. You can almost smell the stage makeup. Curator: The Metropolitan Museum of Art now houses this work, and it provides valuable insight into the intertwined histories of entertainment, advertising, and celebrity culture in the late 19th century. Editor: She's got a bit of a devilish grin too. That plus the almost pirate-like outfit, it feels as though she’s breaking through the primness expected of the era. Is that intentional, or is that reading too much into a cigarette ad? Curator: These kinds of advertising images often challenged or reinforced social norms depending on their target demographic and intended message. May Merrion here is pictured in stage costume, which allowed for a certain theatricality not permitted in everyday settings. The goal, ostensibly, was to equate her attractiveness with the desirability of the product. Editor: Marketing genius! Still, her clothes suggest she may play a male role in theater? Genderbending wasn’t necessarily scandalous then; wasn’t there more latitude on stage? Or maybe I’m projecting. Curator: Cross-dressing performances were indeed popular and did allow a loosening of conventions. So it could suggest the cigarette brand had slightly progressive associations to appeal to the public at large. Editor: What a fascinating little glimpse into a bygone world. These tobacco companies inadvertently became patrons of portraiture. Curator: It underscores how advertising deeply influences our perception, shaping the narrative through cultural production and visibility. Editor: Yes, well, it looks like this actress and her sweet smokes made an impression, one puff at a time.