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

Editor: This is "Miss Lafero," a photographic print from 1889, part of the Actresses series by William S. Kimball & Co., originally a cigarette card. There's an unsettling vulnerability to her gaze, set against the backdrop of its original purpose as commercial ephemera. How should we interpret the layers of visibility at play here? Curator: The inherent tension interests me – between the supposed 'respectability' of the Victorian era and the blatant commodification of female sexuality, particularly within the burgeoning advertising industry. Kimball, a tobacco magnate, mass-produced images of actresses, effectively objectifying them as marketing tools. How do you think the context of her being labelled as part of a series titled “Actresses”, alongside the company name "Wm. S. Kimball & Co," affects our perception? Editor: It adds another layer, a theatrical presentation. Like she's performing, complicit, yet somehow retains her own distinct gaze. Were these actresses seen as empowered, or exploited? Curator: It’s never simple. What power dynamics were at play? Consider the actress's agency, or lack thereof. Was she profiting from this display, complicit, as you suggest, or was she merely a pawn in a larger patriarchal structure? What might contemporary feminist readings bring to light about performativity and the commodification of the female form? This photograph reveals the deep contradictions of that historical moment. The photograph feels like it perpetuates stereotypical beauty standards from that era. Editor: I see your point; framing her presentation within these societal structures underscores how her perceived empowerment, if any, existed under very specific conditions. Curator: Exactly! The "nude" tag is interesting in this case, since the sitter is covered; it demonstrates how social codes of the time have coded exposure and dress, layering assumptions about respectability onto how the photograph is understood. Editor: Thanks for giving me another lens to view the art through and a perspective from which to analyze art with. Curator: Always good to question the apparent simplicity, especially when such power dynamics are at play!