Mlle. Vanda, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1890

Curator: Here we see a photograph from 1890, "Mlle. Vanda, from the Actresses series," produced by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. The image itself is petite. What stands out to you initially? Editor: Well, it's definitely of its time – a tobacco card! I find the combination of high art – ballet – with something as mundane as cigarettes kind of amusing. What's interesting about the context of production? Curator: Exactly! We need to consider the economics here. Photography, as a printing process, allowed images like these to become affordable and reproducible on a mass scale, becoming commercial tools. These weren't seen as ‘high art’ initially, but as promotional items. Did the working class have more access to photography now? Editor: So it democratized art in a way, or at least images? Though it also strikes me that this democratization was deeply intertwined with capitalism and advertising. It’s kind of a strange thing to ponder now. Curator: Precisely. Look at the material itself – a small card meant to be collected and traded. The means of distribution – cigarettes – speaks volumes about consumer culture at the time. What do we learn from the materiality about beauty or prestige here? Editor: That beauty could be packaged and sold, I suppose, and that even high art was fair game in the growing advertising industry. It's a really interesting intersection. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! Considering the economic drivers behind art production provides a necessary perspective. We both learned about this particular commercial product that existed between industries.