Miss Duremey, from the Actresses series (N203) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

This is a promotional card for Wm. S. Kimball & Co.'s cigarettes, featuring Miss Duremey, from their Actresses series. The sepia tone imbues the image with a sense of nostalgia, typical of such cards. The composition is simple, focusing on the actress's upper body. The artist uses soft gradations of tone to model her face and form, avoiding harsh lines. This creates a gentle, almost dreamlike quality, enhancing her idealized beauty. The angle of her pose, resting her chin on her hand, is a conventional one. The overall effect is one of elegant restraint. This card reflects the cultural codes of its time, using the image of an actress to sell cigarettes. Yet, looking at it now, the card offers a glimpse into the commodification of image and celebrity. The texture of the card itself, its small size, and the muted colors contribute to a sense of bygone ephemerality. This artwork, despite its commercial origins, now functions as a cultural artifact.