Captain, from the Occupations of Women series (N502) for Frishmuth's Tobacco Company 1889

This is a chromolithograph trading card, part of the "Occupations of Women" series, printed by Frishmuth's Tobacco Company. At first glance, the symmetrical composition draws the eye to the central figure, a woman dressed as a ship's captain. The palette of blues and yellows evokes both the sea and a sense of gentle authority. The formal structure of this card plays with established codes of gender and labor. Note how the woman's attire, while nautical, includes decorative elements like a low neckline and jewelry, challenging the traditionally masculine role of a captain. Through a semiotic lens, the telescope acts as a signifier of power and vision, yet its placement in her hand redefines those qualities within a female context. The card unsettles conventional categories. It prompts us to question how societal roles are constructed and performed. By visually merging femininity with the symbolic authority of a captain, Frishmuth's questions the very foundations of power and gender roles.