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

Curator: This captivating photograph comes to us from 1890. It's a portrait of Claudie Revere, an actress, part of a series by Kinney Brothers promoting Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Editor: Instantly, I'm struck by the almost theatrical golden glow, like she's standing in the limelight on a stage set. Her costume—part fairytale, part vaudeville—is pretty interesting. Curator: These photographs were actually printed and included in packs of cigarettes. Kinney Brothers utilized images of actresses like Claudie Revere in the same way baseball cards would later be employed. Editor: Fascinating, so she's selling cigarettes with her own image and maybe selling herself. The whole scene has a soft focus and golden tint—perhaps meant to make smoking seem like an appealing fantasy? She has such a playful confident pose. Curator: I think you've hit on something significant, her clothing also represents how Japonisme's impact on 19th century theatre with such stylized theatrical costume influenced the public at this period. Her slightly obscured location may represent her obscurity since not many of today's audiences would immediately recognize her by name. Editor: Yes. The flowers that are scattered around evoke art nouveau botanical prints with how they fill out the lower visual space, grounding Claudie Revere visually, as her feet seem cut off from us. She holds her head high in an upright but very engaging manner; even after 100 years. Curator: It's a remarkable glimpse into how images function in popular culture—the conflation of performance, identity, and commerce that's surprisingly modern, don't you think? Editor: I think that you're spot on. It's amazing how marketing techniques have echoed throughout history to influence us every day, just with new shiny covers! Thank you for highlighting such themes that this beautiful card inspires today.