Miss Mabel Love, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1890

Curator: This sepia-toned print, produced around 1890 by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company, presents Miss Mabel Love. It comes from their “Actresses” series promoting Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Editor: It’s delicate, isn't it? Like a half-remembered dream. There’s a quiet sort of melancholic elegance, or maybe just the wear of time? The sepia really gives it that antique perfume. Curator: The photograph emerged during a period of significant societal shifts for women. Though it was ostensibly intended as promotional material, such images played a part in how the burgeoning roles of women, particularly those in entertainment, were represented. Editor: Promotion meets… aspiration? I see that! Mabel Love seems to gaze beyond the camera, not just inviting cigarette sales, but also, almost, an invitation into another world, the stage, the life of an actress. I mean, even that flowing hair… it isn't constrained, you know? Curator: That interplay between objectification and a semblance of agency is critical. How does the representation challenge or uphold traditional patriarchal standards of the time, especially given that the image circulated in the public sphere as an advert, is very interesting. Editor: Okay, that’s heavy. But let me lighten this a little - there is something playful in her poise! She almost seems like she’s about to get up, give a wink, and scamper offstage to enjoy something backstage, maybe some chocolates? It's my wild interpretation. Curator: What’s crucial for us to understand, in our time, is how deeply images are tied to the economics of cultural norms. Even seeming ephemeral or ornamental material. They often reveal deep ideological biases. Editor: Yeah, okay, economics of desire… but also maybe just the longing for escape. Stardom has to seem desirable. Anyway! It really brings me back. This piece is a gem, reminding us of what we chase and the art we make around these chases.