Mlle. Muller, from the Actresses series (N203) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

Curator: It has an undeniably intimate feel, doesn't it? Editor: Yes, although the sepia tones and the dimensions create an almost ghostly atmosphere. What is this exactly? Curator: This albumen print, dating from 1889, is entitled "Mlle. Muller, from the Actresses series," and it was issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. Editor: The fact that it's associated with a cigarette company automatically colors my reading. It highlights the commodification of the actress’s image. We’re seeing labor here – the labor of image production, and then the ultimate consumption by the masses. Curator: Exactly! The context of its production is vital. We're talking about the intersection of art, industry, and performance in the late 19th century, with Mlle. Muller, presumably a working actress, her image directly tied to the marketing machine. There is also the question of what it means for this particular series of portrait to perpetuate a very specific Westernized aesthetic standard for feminine beauty at the time, effectively dictating social mores and normative expectations, Editor: Note the texture, the subtle sheen on the fabric—probably silk or rayon; what sort of dye process are we looking at here? Curator: Those elements underscore the inherent tension, the artist working within the rigid confines of commercial image-making and marketing norms to achieve widespread distribution and societal acceptance. The print utilizes the techniques from that period to also subtly cater to bourgeois desires. It definitely speaks to an industry dedicated to shaping desires. Editor: Precisely! This isn’t just a picture of a pretty face, but an example of manufacturing consumer desire and objectifying laborers at the turn of the century, and this is all embedded within the material realities of mass production. Curator: Reflecting on this, it's quite revealing how what appears as a seemingly innocuous photograph encapsulates broader social and industrial dynamics of the period, right? Editor: Indeed. A seemingly simple card unveils layers of economic and material considerations around identity construction.