Dinard, France, from the Surf Beauties series (N232), issued by Kinney Bros. 1889

Editor: This small lithograph, "Dinard, France, from the Surf Beauties series," created by Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company in 1889, depicts a woman in a somewhat unusual bathing costume for the time. It strikes me as a strangely glamorous and yet…commercial image. How would you interpret this work in its historical context? Curator: It's fascinating, isn’t it? Consider this card not just as art, but as advertisement, embedded in the late 19th-century culture of collecting and commodity. Kinney Brothers were marketing tobacco, and using images of idealized women and exotic locales was a common tactic. What does the setting—Dinard, France—suggest to you? Editor: Perhaps a sense of luxury and escapism? Dinard was becoming a popular resort destination for the upper classes, wasn’t it? Curator: Precisely. These cards weren't about high art, they were about aspiration and desire, aligning the consumption of tobacco with a certain lifestyle. The “Surf Beauties” series is a clear example of how emerging consumer culture utilized images of women to sell products and shape social ideals. Consider, too, how widely these cards were circulated and collected; art entered the public realm not just in galleries and museums, but in everyday commercial products. Editor: So, the “art” here is almost secondary to the branding, and shaping what the “modern woman” aspires to? Curator: It’s a complex interplay. The image reinforces existing social hierarchies and desires. These seemingly innocent collectibles are tools that constructed and propagated ideals, shaping cultural values. The artist created what would sell to that market: escape, ideals, the other. Editor: That makes me rethink the power of images we see every day. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. It’s a reminder to analyze the social forces at play in art's production and distribution.