Mlle. Sirene, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1890

This card was produced by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as an advertising premium, a tiny portrait of Mlle. Sirene printed on paper. The method used here – printing – is a mechanical process, quite unlike the handwork associated with traditional portraiture. The image is crisp, clean and repeatable, designed for mass consumption. This was not originally intended as a precious object, but a throwaway meant to promote the company's Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. It is interesting to think about the amount of labor involved, both in the production of the cards themselves, and also in the creation of the photograph on which it is based. The cigarette industry was also dependent on a largely unseen workforce, harvesting and processing tobacco. While the subject poses in a way reminiscent of fine art portraiture, the card challenges the boundary between art and commerce. It is a reminder that all images – even those that appear to be purely aesthetic – are embedded in social and economic relationships.