Croizette, from the Ballet Queens series (N182) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

Curator: Here we have "Croizette, from the Ballet Queens series," printed by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. around 1889. Editor: It has an immediate, slightly unsettling charm. The coloration feels intentionally heightened, verging on the grotesque with those mustard-yellow tights. Curator: The "Ballet Queens" series was actually a set of cigarette cards! These cards offer fascinating insights into the performance industry and popular culture of the late 19th century. They speak to the emerging commodification and idealization of women performers during the period. Editor: That helps frame it. I notice the precision of line and wash, with an eye towards almost scientific illustration. What do the material details say to you? Curator: Knowing it was part of a mass-produced set changes the stakes, of course. What’s rendered is the theatrical construction of femininity, mediated through the market, packaged and distributed. The sitter herself, a celebrity of her day, seems secondary. Her own subjectivity all but disappears. Editor: Absolutely. Yet, consider the formal tensions. Her face possesses an almost statuesque, classically balanced arrangement. It strikes me how different that is compared to her exaggerated costume! Curator: The costume emphasizes a certain… hyper-femininity and a focus on physical display that could reinforce restrictive gender norms. The cross-laced ribbon design around the upper chest, along with the truncated bottoms, could also reference bondage gear or the sexualization of female athletes. Editor: Those interplays of line and mass, between realism and hyperbole, create such fascinating dissonances. Thanks for placing this within the context of commodity culture and gender politics. I came here to see an old drawing, but I'm leaving thinking about power and presentation! Curator: Precisely. Art offers itself up for multiple interpretations, and I find those open dialogues the most fulfilling experiences of all.