Frankil Kemble, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

Editor: This is a portrait card, one of a series featuring actresses, specifically Frankil Kemble. It’s from between 1885 and 1891, by Allen & Ginter, for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. It’s a photographic print. The sepia tone lends it a sort of antiquated air, and I’m immediately curious about the connection between performance and the tobacco industry back then. What’s your take? Curator: Let's think about this in terms of its production and context. It’s not simply a portrait, it’s a mass-produced image, made as a promotional item. Cigarette cards like these democratized access to imagery, putting representations of high culture – in this case, an actress – into the hands of ordinary consumers. It also used the performance arts, something refined, to move tobacco. Consider the labor involved: from cultivating the tobacco to the printing and distribution of the cards. Do you think that challenges traditional notions of art? Editor: Definitely. It blurs the lines, doesn't it? It's not high art made for a gallery, it's a commodity using artistic representation to sell another commodity. So, where does value reside, then? Curator: Exactly! The value is shifting from pure aesthetic contemplation to the exchange value within a growing consumer culture. These cards also acted as miniature advertisements, contributing to the visual landscape and influencing taste. Also note, this “original print”, although labelled that way by the museum, likely only represents a reproduction of a photo that then had many copies printed from it. What about the labour involved in *that* reproduction? It raises questions about authorship. Editor: That makes so much sense. It redefines “art” less as a singular, unique object and more as part of a broader system of production and consumption. So we need to look more deeply into how labor is organized to *make* the image and what it does in the context of the society it circulates through. It’s really fascinating! Curator: Precisely! And by questioning its material conditions, we reveal a richer story beyond the mere likeness of an actress.