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

Editor: Here we have an albumen print from 1890 by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company. It's titled "Laura Moore, from the Actresses series", used as a promotional item for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. The image is captivating, though feels slightly posed. What's your perspective on the piece? Curator: As a materialist, I'm particularly interested in the layers of production and consumption here. This albumen print, a specific photographic process popular in the late 19th century, showcases the era's technological advancements being deployed directly into advertising. Consider the socio-economic impact. Sweet Caporal cigarettes were a mass-produced item, relying on cheap labor and the distribution of images like these fueled desire and brand loyalty. Editor: So it’s less about Laura Moore herself and more about the industrial machine behind the image? Curator: Precisely. While Moore's image contributes to a particular aspirational fantasy, we must look at the image production as labor, consider the cost of its production and the implications on marketing for tobacco sales and consumerism itself. The photograph has been meticulously staged using specific backdrops that mimic sculpture or more antiquated styles to appear as 'high art'. To understand it is to appreciate that an aesthetic value has an exchange value. Who consumed this, how did they consume it and what material desire did it produce? Editor: It's a powerful reminder that what seems like simple artwork has an industrial purpose. I never thought about a print as an act of labor. Curator: Absolutely. Every photograph has its mode of production. Understanding its material condition allows us to unpack larger societal issues about the commodification of not just art, but people, time, and fantasy. This transforms our reading of the work; Laura Moore's allure is then tied directly to tobacco sales and labor exploitation. Editor: Thank you, your points have significantly reshaped my perspective. I’ll remember that labor, process, and consumption, not only affect material but aesthetic value.