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

Curator: This is "Jennie Calef, from the Actresses series (N203)," created in 1889 by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. It's an albumen print, a photographic process popular in that era, and part of a series used in cigarette packaging. Editor: My initial impression is that the tones and lighting contribute to a sense of staged intimacy. It feels designed to appeal directly to consumers through the gaze of this performer. Curator: Precisely. The Actresses series speaks to the growing commercialization of entertainment and celebrity culture. Kimball was directly leveraging the popularity of actresses to sell cigarettes. It's fascinating how tobacco companies intertwined themselves with the burgeoning world of theater. Editor: And considering the materiality, we are looking at an albumen print, which would've been made using egg whites to bind the photographic chemicals to the paper. That's a laborious process when scaled up for mass production! I wonder what the working conditions were like for the people actually producing these cards. Curator: That is crucial to consider. These cards were not just passively consumed, they actively participated in shaping social norms, especially around female performers and, by extension, women in the public sphere. Notice how Calef is posed, the presentation intended to titillate and cater to male desires. Editor: I’m curious, these cigarette cards, were they only targeting a male demographic, or were they attempting to draw women into the market of purchasing these goods also? Curator: Primarily male. The marketing heavily relied on the objectification and idealization of women to solidify smoking as a masculine activity, although many cigarette companies would indeed make sure that they had various marketing campaigns in order to cater to both the genders of the population. Editor: Examining it this way reveals a potent confluence of industrial production, performance, and consumerism—the photograph capturing a fabricated persona, packaged, and sold with every pack. This commercialization and use of albumen is key. Curator: Absolutely, thinking about Jennie Calef's presence, this small photograph provided her another stage to reach new spectators outside theaters. Kimball & Co. ensured these figures' reach and influence were greatly amplified. Editor: So this small artifact reveals such intricate and intertwined relations. It certainly deepens one’s understanding of not only Kimball, but also of that era. Curator: It truly does offer such incredible insight and really amplifies our comprehension.