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

This photograph of Claudie Revere was produced by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company, part of a series of actresses used to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Note the rose, a symbol laden with meaning. Here, it is clutched in her hand, a gesture reminiscent of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, often depicted scattering blossoms or holding a bouquet. The rose, emblematic of love and beauty, has traversed centuries, appearing in Renaissance paintings as a symbol of Venus, and later, in Victorian times, as a coded message in the language of flowers. The flower has evolved from sacred, a symbol of purity and divine love to one of temporal desire. Consider how our collective memory associates the rose with both profound beauty and transient pleasure. It resurfaces, carrying echoes of its past lives, each time subtly shifting in meaning.