Butterfly, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 3) issued by Kinney Bros. 1889

This color lithograph, “Butterfly, from the Novelties series” was issued by Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company in 1869. Printed on a small, round card, the piece depicts two women in profile, facing one another. Their portraits are printed on either side of the butterfly’s wings. These cards were produced and distributed by tobacco companies as a means of advertisement. As a collectible, its value was in the set, not necessarily the individual card. The women’s faces are strikingly similar, reflecting the aesthetic conventions of the late 19th century, when standards of beauty were quite rigid, particularly for white women. Interestingly, butterflies have long been associated with transformation, and even freedom. Placed on the wings of a butterfly, the women here seem poised for flight, yet their similar features seem to diminish individual identity. What does it mean to consider their gazes, locked in a silent mirror?