Maude Waldermere, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1890

This photograph of Maude Waldermere, from the Actresses series, was produced by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as a promotional card for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. It’s printed on a small rectangular card. The composition is dominated by the figure of Maude, who stands centrally framed against a backdrop of a painted landscape. Her striking hourglass figure, emphasized by a tightly laced corset, immediately draws the eye. The sharp contrast between her cinched waist and the volume of her bust and hips creates a dramatic silhouette, one that challenges conventional notions of beauty and form. The sepia tone flattens the image, reducing depth. What are we to make of this exaggerated form, reproduced and distributed in mass? It invites us to consider how images function within systems of exchange and desire. The photograph is not merely a representation, but a cultural artifact embedded with codes of femininity, commodification, and spectacle.