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

Editor: This is a sepia-toned print from 1889 titled "Jennie Calef, from the Actresses series," put out by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. It depicts an actress, seemingly mid-performance on a swing. What's fascinating to me is that this was essentially cigarette packaging. How do you see this piece? Curator: Let's think about it as more than just a promotional image. The photographic print *is* the commodity here. Kimball & Co. weren’t just selling cigarettes, they were distributing reproducible images of actresses. What materials went into its making, who handled them, and what were they being offered to purchase in tandem? Editor: That’s a great point. So, thinking about the labor and materiality, what does that tell us? Curator: The company used photography, printing techniques, and, of course, the materials for cigarettes themselves, and the labor to mass-produce those. But these cards are suggesting a social currency, or a feeling of access. The performance is transformed, packaged and made widely available at a new price point. Editor: It’s interesting to think about photography in that context. It was a relatively new medium, right? So it’s distributing this technology at the same time as these depictions of femininity? Curator: Exactly! It challenges the established artistic boundaries by using reproductive technologies of that time to democratize art and celebrity in tandem. How are the expectations of photography altering art as well? Editor: I hadn't really considered that before. Thinking about the cigarettes themselves and this kind of ephemeral artwork all packaged together is really interesting. Thanks for this perspective! Curator: My pleasure. Reflecting on how these seemingly disparate things interact reveals fascinating insights into the social and material conditions of the time.