Plate 48, from the Fans of the Period series (N7) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1889

Curator: This small print, "Plate 48, from the Fans of the Period series," was created in 1889 for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. It is a miniature portrait, composed of colored pencil and print work. Editor: The immediate impression is one of delicate artifice. The composition feels deliberately staged, from the wistful gaze to the carefully positioned fan and the exuberant hat. It’s undeniably charming. Curator: Absolutely, there's a definite artifice, meant to evoke a specific cultural fantasy, linking the consumption of cigarettes with an air of sophistication and international flair. Consider the Japonisme influence, for example. Editor: Yes, the fan reads as a clear visual cue there, doesn’t it? In terms of the construction itself, notice how the relatively flat planes of color emphasize form and line over depth or texture. Curator: That stylistic flattening definitely underscores the "fancy picture" element, elevating an idealized feminine beauty and associating it with a lifestyle that the consumers of the product were encouraged to identify with, thereby transferring the symbol value into social capital for consumers. Editor: The artist’s application of colored pencil mimics the subtle gradations and blended effects of a traditional painting, all the while conforming to the constraints of a mass-produced print. It is really remarkable, technically. Curator: What’s interesting, too, is the condensation of a type—she’s not merely a pretty face but a stand-in for an aspirational class identity, circulated and consumed widely. You hold a symbol; therefore you possess a type of power or understanding that relates to it. The commercial transaction creates cultural continuity through distributed desire. Editor: So the appeal is that of controlled luxury, then. Though humble in scale, it clearly functions to associate the brand with sophistication and an accessible yet still "high society" aesthetic. Thank you for walking me through that; I can appreciate that more now. Curator: And I thank you, I tend to get lost in the symbolic translation that these items created. You bring me back to appreciating the actual composition, which is easy to overlook given how entrenched these images became.