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

Curator: Right now we’re looking at “May Robson” a photograph from around 1890. It’s part of the Actresses series (N245) from the Kinney Brothers who used them to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Editor: Stripes, stripes, everywhere. They almost vibrate, don't they? It gives the photograph this strange kind of frenetic energy, even though it’s static and she’s posing. I feel like I'm looking at a hidden dimension, or maybe I need to lay off the coffee. Curator: Kinney Brothers put these in cigarette packs, basically miniature advertisements or collector’s items. I love the idea of slipping May Robson into your pocket. The portrait, achieved with photography and print techniques, emphasizes her status and glamour, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Status is certainly striped across her dress, which I am choosing to believe symbolizes ambition or adventure...I’m making this up of course. It strikes me, though, that her sleeves and the skirt panel do a visual battle. Does it draw attention or detract? Curator: Visually, the composition uses a symmetrical arrangement—her stance, with hands on her hips, mirrored sleeves, that is offset by the asymmetry of the stripes on the dress. Formally, that creates this interesting tension, the formality clashing with something playful. Editor: She looks slightly amused. Or is that just my projection? Is it performative joy or a genuine grin sneaking through? The textures though – that frilly collar juxtaposed against those bold lines makes me wonder, was it fun to be May Robson, acting away, draped in all those different weights and shapes of fabric? I bet it was an experience. Curator: Considering semiotics and structuralist views on beauty in the 19th century, we could dive deeper into how fashion was a code, and her image, duplicated and circulated through print, offered insights into social aspirations and theatrical persona. Editor: Oh, for sure, like those actresses sold us not only dreams but also an era's understanding of femininity, spun into those mass produced photographs, that can travel everywhere. I find it endearing and also very shrewd. Curator: What I find so unique is how the Kinney Brothers used an aesthetic snapshot in an accessible commercial form to immortalize the art and actors of their day. Editor: A small, striped piece of rebellion, right? If only we had that cigarette still, to truly get in the right mood to experience it all.